Revelations: A Miraculous Ladybug and Cat Noir Story
by inugomefiend
Summary: 3-part story. Pt 1: Cat Noir reveals to Marinette, but her reaction makes him think it's a mistake. She fixes it by revealing for him and a new couple is born! Pt 2: Adrien finds out his father is Hawkmoth, drama ensues. Pt 3: Luca and Kagami cause jealousy problems, but the issues get resolved, resulting in a full lemon. Adrienette, LadyNoir, some GabeNath COMPLETE
1. Part 1

Another day, another akumatized victim thwarted and saved, another afternoon rooftop with a Cat Noir and a Miraculous Ladybug flashing from having used Lucky Charm and Cataclysm, the usual five minutes remaining before they both revert. Ladybug tries to bid a quick farewell to the cat, knowing change was imminent, and that he would be transforming first with one pad more than her vanished already. But Cat Noir grabs her gently by the arm, tilting his head down and whispering "Wait..."

After a quick but quiet moment, Cat Noir looks up at Lady, a sincerely loving but questioning look on his face, his hand still holding her arm. "Listen, Ladybug...I understand that you are not ready to reveal yourself to me, so I won't ask it of you-_this time." _He dons a mischievous look for a moment, but quickly gets serious again, before the Bug can say anything. He continues, returning his face to one of affection. "But would you at least..._consider _letting _me_ transform for _you_?" He lets Lady go, turning his head downward, and gives Marinette no chance to reply. "I mean, I haven't forgotten that you're in love with someone else, but that's not what this is about. I just...well...for starters, I trust you _implicit__ly_with my secret-and I hope you know you can trust me with yours-but mostly, it's...it's..."

He tilts his downturned head to the side, slumping his shoulders and releasing a long sigh, ready to give up already. But much to his surprise, before he can call the whole thing a joke and leave in his superhero get-up, the Dotted Lady questions him further.

Now it's Laydbug's turn to lay hands on _him, _placing both hands on his shoulders-causing the cat to straighten up and look into her eyes once more as DuPainCheng replies. "Um...er...Cat Noir, I _do _trust you. I'm just not so sure it's a good idea. I mean we were both told to guard our secrets with our lives! It's nothing personal, I swear! But...if you don't mind telling me...what were you going to say? Why is it so important to you to show me your true self, even without me returning the favor? I must admit, I'm very curious..."

Adrien's eyes widen at that, his face a visage of incredulity and joy at his Bugaboo's sudden interest in his personal feelings, despite still being opposed to revealing themselves to one another.

Without breaking eye contact but turning his face serious (yet loving) once more, the kitty begins again to tell the pretty little beetle what she had asked to hear.

"Well, uh, it's like this, Ladybug...you see, my true self and Cat Noir are very different people. In normal life, I don't have this kind of freedom, and I'm _anything _but bold. Wearing the costume and mask so that no one knows me leaves me free to be who I _want _to be for a while instead of who I _am _the rest of the time. And I...I just want..." His face turns downward and sad, halting the words about to escape his mouth. Before he can say "nevermind," though, Ladybug tries to give him an out for this obviously difficult answer.

"Wait, Cat Noir," she says, gently squeezing his black-leather shoulders, causing the cat to look up, "you don't have to tell me. It's alright. Go ahead and keep your secret, no hard feelings. OK?" Her head is slightly tilted, a small yet compassionate and understanding smile upon her face. Cat Noir looks confused at this remark, both amazed that she had somehow _known _that he was about to retract his request, and soothed by her caring expression and tender grip on his shoulders. He can't help but return her mild but earnest smile for a second before he replies.

"NO! That's not it. I _do _want to tell you, Lady, I do. It's just...not as easy as I imagined. But please hear me out?" His brow furrows in worry as his eyes plead with hers to listen. Ladybug lets go his arms to pat his chest affectionately. "Of course," she replies gently, widening her smile.

Adrien straightens up as tall as he can and clears his throat. "Ladybug," he begins, "I just want you to know ALL of who I am, not just who I am when I'm out playing superhero. I want you to know the _real _me, who I am every day, not just who I _pretend _to be in this suit. I don't want to be two different people to you, I want to be just _me, _no matter how I'm dressed. I know that won't change your feelings, but at least I wouldn't feel like I'm lying to you every time I suit up, and maybe we'll even be better friends. I hate feeling like little more than a stranger to you. I want you to KNOW me. Please, it's important to me. What's wrong with that?" His hopeful eyes implore hers for a favorable reply, whilst he simultaneously braces for the opposite.

Marinette is taken aback. She doesn't know just what reason she expected of Cat Noir, yet his answer still comes as a surprise. But a heartwarming surprise, nonetheless. He was allowing her to see him in a shockingly exposed state, telling her some of his deep personal feelings. Plus, this is a Cat Noir far unlike the one she knows, and it makes her feel warm all over. She finds herself flattered in spite of herself, and touched by his sincerity. But logically, she cannot find anything wrong with his reasons for wanting her to see his true self. Yet she is still unsure.

"Cat Noir," she begins softly, "I understand-and there's not a thing wrong with your reasons for wanting to share your real identity with me. But..." She lowers her eyes, and Adrien's follow at that dreaded last word, knowing full well his request was about to be rejected. But Ladybug continues.

"It's not that I don't _want _to know, or that there's any flaw in your thinking, and it has nothing to do with trust. I'm just not sure it's _right. _I'm not sure it's really _okay _to do this. I mean, our pledges...I can't just decide on my own to ignore those, right? So for now, I guess I have to say no. I'm truly sorry."

Cat Noir sighs dejectedly, though he was expecting this reply. Yet he couldn't help but get hopeful, and those hopes were just dashed. Still, he lifts his eyes. "I expected as much, Ladybug. And I understand. It's ok, really. Please don't feel bad, ok? I just had to ask, that's all. Forget I said anything, alright?"

At that, Marinette notices the cheerful visage of an ostensibly unphased Cat Noir smiling broadly at her. Yet after what he had just oh-so-honestly and emotionally shared with her-and her refusal to give him what he asked of her-she _knows _she had really disappointed him. She _knows _he is only trying to cheer her up. She _knows _he truly doesn't want her to feel bad, as he said. He wants her to remain happy and carefree. He is truly a _good guy. _She wonders absentmindedly why she never really noticed that before-why she never took him seriously. She looks away, feeling bad regardless. But before she can ponder in the momentary silence any longer, the cat speaks.

"Well, Ladybug..." the black feline begins as he yawns and stretches, jarring the dotted insect from her reverie and causing her to face him again as he continues. "I guess that's it then." He beams at her as if all were well in the world and nothing had happened. "Actually, I'm a bit tired at the moment, and I'll turn back any second now whether you want me to or not!" At that, he places an arm behind his head and gives her his biggest grin, his most chipper laugh, and one of his famous Cat-winks. He had just made a very typical and corny Cat Noir joke. "So, Bugaboo, I guess I'll see you next time! Gotta run now!" He turns his back to her with a backward wave, though for some reason he is WALKING instead pole-vaulting away like usual.

Ladybug is astonished. Not only did Cat Noir seem like a different person this afternoon, but for some reason, he seemed...rather _familiar _to her. But it goes further than that. He also, odd as it appears to be, strikes her as suddenly somehow more _attractive _to her what with his brutal emotional honesty and semblant self-doubt, the way he had _immediately _tried to take back what he said and comfort her to keep her from feeling guilty or awkward, the way he pretended not to be hurt for her sake, and how suddenly _cute _he seemed to her as he behaved shyly for the first time ever since she had known him. Not to mention the strange way he WALKED away from her instead of speeding away with his stick, even knowing his time was about to run out despite her denial of his request to allow it. The girl doesn't really know how to react. But she does know ONE thing-two, actually-first, she has to bid him a proper farewell to assure him there would be no awkwardness between them now-and more importantly-she knows that, for whatever reason, she does NOT want this to be the end of it. She is suddenly a bit conflicted, in more ways than one.

"Uh, Cat Noir! Wait!" She calls after him without thinking before he gets very far-because she just doesn't want to leave things like this. "I...er...um...well..."

The black-suited superhero quickly returns. "Yes, milady?' grins a typically mischievous cat, facing her.

"What I mean is, uh...I just can't say for SURE what's right and wrong here, so..." Her cheeks pink and she averts her eyes-unlike ever before with this guy-and stammers on. "Well, what I mean...I mean, what I mean is-oh that's three 'means' in a row, isn't it?" She shakes her head. "But never mind that, what I'm trying to say is, or um ASK is, um...is it...is it ok with you if I don't give you my final answer yet? Will you give me some time to think about this?" Marinette surprises herself with that, having not expected those words to come out of her mouth-especially to HIM! In fact, they were so unexpected, she did not know how or why they fell from her mouth at all. Yet somehow she feels relieved saying it, discomfort and perplexity notwithstanding. She stares at Cat Noir's face full-on now, whilst she awaits his response with more hope than she would have imagined she'd have in this situation. After all, this is the guy who annoys her the most of anyone she knows (with one spiteful blond exception)! Or at least he _was..._

Adrien is over the moon! First, she had said no as he expected, but now THIS! Ladybug's not exactly changing her mind, but at least she is willing to think it over! He grins at her in sheer joy. "Bugaboo, take all the time you need. I will wait _endlessly_ for you." With that, a grin, and a quick "see ya later then!" he turns back around and leaves the rooftop-THIS time pole-vaulting the whole way! He appears to have the spring back in his step!

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Later that day, Marinette is alone in her room-TRYING to study. But her mind keeps wandering, going back to the events of earlier today with Cat Noir. She argues with herself.

_But I am in love with Adrien! And Cat Noir is nothing but a __nuisance__ to me! I DON'T have any feelings for him! So WHY, then, do I keep THINKING about him? He just wasn't his normal self today, acting all shy and emotional. I bet he did that just to confuse me! No, no, that CAN'T be it. I know him too well. He's honest, if nothing else. But...but...but today, he was soooo different! I just can't get over it! He told me a lot about who he really is, and made it clear that his normal self is very unlike his superhero persona. And I just can't get that out of my head! He seemed so honestly SHY, and unsure of himself-totally divergent from the Cat Noir that *I* know. I know he wasn't lying, but...it's just so hard to believe! And the way he rubbed his head from behind, that bashful smile, that insecurity...and I could've sworn he was blushing, too! AND had trouble looking me straight in the eyes! He kind of...in a weird sort-of way...acted a bit like Andrien! C-c-could he possibly be..? Oh, girl, you are OBVIOUSLY letting your imagination run away with you! There is no way that's true! Completely preposterous! It simply cannot be! However...the two of them ARE similar in some ways, if I think about it. At least, considering how Cat Noir acted today. But then maybe I just took it all out of context, saw things that weren't really there. Maybe he didn't really mean what I heard. Perhaps it was all in my imagination. Maybe I was hallucinating! Or even...it didn't really happen at all! Maybe it was just a really realistic dream! Oh, I just don't know, darn it!_ With that, she sighs and plunks her head down on top of her chemistry book. She can't concentrate now. Study will just have to wait til she clears her head.

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One sleepless night later-or rather, the morning after one-Marinette struggles to arise and get to school on time. Once there, she is so out of it that she keeps accidentally bumping into people, and ends up unintentionally sitting in the wrong seat. She had TRIED to get to sleep the previous night, but her confused thoughts and feelings about Cat Noir and Adrien kept her obsessing most of the night. So, she tries to make the best of the situation by telling people she simply didn't sleep well the night before due to loud music from a neighbor's house. Everyone seems to accept that made-up excuse, and leaves her alone.

Once in the appropriate seat, tired though she is, Marinette cannot _help _but sneak peeks at Andrien, still questioning whether or not he is Cat Noir despite his obvious lack of feeling for her in real life and her conviction that it simply _cannot _be him. After all, what are the odds he _would _be? But she notices something strange-Adrien seems to be scanning the whole room, watching the girls in particular carefully, apparently listening closely, as if to learn a secret. For what reason, she does not know (but she doesn't like it much).

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Class begins normally for Adrien-except for the fact that he feels anything _but_ normal this morning. After his discussion with Ladybug the previous night, he can think of nothing else. After all, she didn't tell him no-she basically said "maybe." He knew what a huge step that was for the overly-cautious bug, and it warms his heart and gives him some real _hope. _But it also DOUBLES his curiosity as to her real identity, and despite knowing her real self most likely isn't in his class, he can't help but entertain that idea. In fact, he has a sort-of gut feeling that she _is, _no matter how implausible. Thus he begins to scan the homeroom class, paying close attention to all the girls, hoping to find some sort of clue as to which female might actually _be_ her-assuming his gut is right-despite having no idea what exactly to _look for. _He simply relies on faith, optimistically believing that he will just KNOW somehow.

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But then it happens. Whilst "secretly" glancing at Adrien, when he turns in his seat for unknown reasons, Marinette catches _his _eyes, such that the pair are looking directly _at _each other!A thrill goes through the girl's body, though the event also embarrasses her enough to make her dip her head down, her face red. Adrien is _also _embarrassed to have been caught _looking, _and does the same simultaneously. Too abashed to continue sneaking peeks, both parties leave it at that and keep their respective eyeballs to themselves for the rest of the class. But Marinette is _desperate _to actually _speak _to Adrien-just to see if she can find anything about him to help confirm or deny that he's Cat Noir without having to witness an unveiling that may be breaking superhero rules-and also to try to explain the stare he caught (though she also caught _him _staring, for no discernible reason). And so she concocts a little plot to get close to her true love today...

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Once Adrien's eyes fall upon Marinette's, he notices two things-first, how exhausted she looks, and second-quite surprisingly-how it makes him _feel. _He had been friends with Marinette for quite a while now, and he _has _noticed himself _noticing _her more than usual in recent times, but he still does not understand _why _his heartbeat picks up at the mutual stare, nor the reason it seems so difficult to look away. However, he DOES have a theory, ridiculous though he believes it to be.

For some reason, of all the girls in his class, Adrien abruptly seems to think that Marinette is the most likely candidate to be Ladybug-and at the same time, the _least _likely. She's nice, thoughtful, useful, and smart-just like Ladybug. But she is also clumsy, awkward, a little shy, and seemingly a bit insecure-totally the _opposite_ of his dream girl. Yet he can not ignore the "evidence" that she just MIGHT be! After all, he knows-using himself as an example-that a superhero can be one way in disguise and totally different in real life. He cannot help but consider it. What catches him off-guard, though, is that that thought doesn't seem to _bother _him for some reason! In fact-shockingly enough-he feels rather _relieved _and somewhat _happy _to think the two of them might actually be one and the same person! After all, Marinette is one of the kindest and most utile people he knows! He simply cannot rule her out as a 'suspect.' Yet he is puzzled as to why he's entertaining that idea in the first place, since he never had before-as well as why he abruptly seems to have some measure of romantic _feeling _for her, despite his undying devotion to Ladybug. But he assumes his newly-discovered enchantment is simply due to the fact that he _is_ suddenly half-believing that she IS his beloved! Yet, with so much room for doubt, he dismisses his "theory" and disregards his out-of-the blue attraction to her. It truly _can't _be her. Or so he convinces himself.

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Finally, the bell rings for lunch. Marinette makes sure she is directly behind Adrien in the lunchline, though Chloe stands right next to him, looping her arm into his. But Marinette doesn't let that discourage her-she has a plan!

Pretending to fall asleep standing up, tray in hand, Marinette "accidentally" bumps into Adrien's back. He immediately turns around, just as Marinette "comes to."

"Oh, hey there, Marinette! Looks like you lost a bit of sleep last night, and now you're having trouble staying awake. Why don't you go home and get some rest?"

Adrien is smiling at her happily, uttering such sweet words of caring, making Marinette temporarily forget her strategy.

"O-Oh! H-hi there, Adrien! S-s-sorry for you bumping into, er, uh, I mean, sorry for bumping into you like that! You're right, I didn't last night sleep, um, I mean, I didn't get much sleep last night because of some neighbors noisy. Oh! I mean _noisy neighbors." _The girl giggles nervously, embarrassed, then quickly adds, "I really appreciate your concern, very much, but if I now sleep I will...I mean, if I sleep now I will just end up being up all night. The neighbors should be quieter tonight, so I should fine be. I mean be fine! Th-thanks again!" Her cheeks are colored, and her words came out jumbled, but she gets the message across-that the stare was due to exhaustion. Now Adrien won't think she's acting weird, even if he _did _catch her looking at him (though she had technically caught _him_ looking at _her, _too). Now for the _rest_ of the plan, to gather info...to help her determine once and for all whether or not Adrien _could _be Cat Noir, despite how silly she thinks that idea is.

Before Adrien can reply to Marinette's explanation, Chloe speaks up. "What are _you _doing here, Marinette? You are _way _too close to my Adrikins-so close you bumped into him!-and you look afright! Why don't you just do us all a favor and go home?" She sticks her nose in the air and squeezes Adrien's arm tighter, getting on Mirinette's nerves.

"Calm down, Chloe," Adrien chimes in, "Marinette was just telling me why she's so tired. Bumping into me was just an accident, it could have happened to anyone. Give her a break, ok?" He gives his companion a winning smile, and Chloe has no choice but to back down. She doesn't want to look bad in front of him, after all. "Well, I guess I can let it slide then. _This _time! Hmph!" Chloe's nose is in the air again, but her words seemed to have made Adrien happy, leaving Marinette unable to hold onto her anger, even if Chloe was obviously still holding onto hers. The tongue-tied teen smiles at them both, not daring to mention her and Adrien's eye-balling directly, and bids the pair goodbye to go sit with her friends, her plan only half-executed due to an unexpected Chloe. After all, Marinette _had _intended to sit next to Adrien and talk some more-to "gather intel"-but it was simply impossible with the hateful blond clinging to the boy like that. Yet the black-haired young lady is used to this, so she just lets it go. For Adrien's sake.

But shortly after school, it happens again. Marinette hears about an akuma loose in the city on her smart phone, as does Adrien. They both make excuses to leave their respective houses quickly and quietly. They meet up downtown, transformed.

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Jean-Claude puts his keyboard to his chest, fastening the strap around his neck. He happily begins to play for the enjoyment of everyone walking through the park. Music is his passion, and he wishes to share it with the world! However, not everyone is thrilled to hear it.

"Excuse me, sir," says Roger Raincomprix, the policeman on patrol, "you can't play that here. Please cease and desist immediately!"

"But sir, I only wish to share my gift with my fellow Parisians! What's wrong with that?"

"Sir, that is noise pollution and disturbing the peace! Now please put your instrument away or I'll have to arrest you!"

The musician bows his head, dejected, but complies with the officer's demand.

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"Ah, such sadness, such anger," declares Hawkmoth from his hideout. "Go my little akuma, and evilize our depressed musician!"

The black butterfly reaches its intended target, inserting itself into the Jean-Claude's keyboard.

"Keyboard Captor," the gray-suited villain says to him, "I am Hawkmoth. I give you the power to play for a truly _captive _audience! _And _make them play for _you! _All I ask in return is that you bring me the miraculous of Cat Noir and Ladybug!"

"Yes, Hawkmoth," agrees Keyboard Captor. The akuma takes over him completely, transforming the man's keyboard into his shirt. Then he begins to play the keys on his chest, and each note takes physical form. The notes grow large, enveloping passersby like a straitjacket, and dragging them to his location. Then, each person's note plays in succession, making a discernible tune. It is literally music to the akumatized Jean-Claude's ears, and he laughs as he ensnares more people to make his melody with.

That's when Cat Noir and Ladybug show up. They hide behind a park bench to discuss strategy.

"Well I think it's pretty obvious where the akuma is, at least," Ladybug offers.

"Yeah. But how are we going to break it? It's going to be hard to get close to him with those human-sized musical notes flying out of his chest and ensnaring everyone..."

"Well, he's going to be after our miraculous, so maybe we can use that. Why don't you get him to chase you up the Eiffel Tower, and once we're on a high floor away from the citizens, I will come up from behind and wrap _him _up in my yoyo cord?"

"You got it, Milady!"

With that, Cat Noir taunts the villain, succeeding in getting the man to pursue him. Hawkmoth spurs on this action, lusting after Cat Noir's ring. The feline gets to a high floor and uses his martial-arts acrobatics to avoid Keyboard Captor's rapid-fire note attacks as Ladybug approaches from behind. She slings her yoyo, but Keyboard Captor is ready for her. He deflects the yoyo with one of his notes. Ladybug tries this approach several times, but Jean-Claude is simply too fast for her with the attacking notes.

"Cat Noir," cries Ladybug, "Try to hit his chest with your stick! Maybe you can break it!"

"Sure thing, Bugaboo!"

But the strategy fails. The chest-keyboard remains unbroken. Ladybug also tries to hit the man's chest with her yoyo, but each time she tries it is knocked down by another note. Finally, she manages to hit the akumatized musician square in the chest, but to her surprise, the yoyo simply bounces off.

"Our attacks are failing, I think it's time for a little help," the bug yells to her partner. Then she throws her yoyo into the air with her standard cry, "Lucky Charm!" What falls into her hand surprises her. "Bottled water? How is _this _supposed to help?"

But she can't ruminate on it for long, because Keyboard Captor is continuously throwing people-grabbing notes at her, and fending off Cat Noir in the same fashion. But then her Ladybug vision gives her an idea. She sees her bottled water, Cat Noir's arm, the floor they are standing on, and Keyboard Captor's chest.

"I got it!" she shouts to Cat Noir. "I'm going to a lower floor. When I get there, use your Cataclysm!" She points at the floor, letting Cat Noir know what exactly she wanted him to use his special power on without notifying Keyboard Captor, who does not see the gesture for being busied with trying to hit the cat with his notes.

"Gotcha, Ladybug!"

Marinette quickly descends to a lower floor of the Tower, and Adrien uses his Cataclysm as instructed. The floor beneath the two guys disintegrates, and they both fall. Cat Noir catches himself with his pole, and Ladybug throws her yoyo up at the falling Keyboard Captor, finally able to wrap the magic string around him. Thus, she stops his descent, and pulls him closer to her. Then she throws the water from her bottle straight into Keyboard Captor's chest, causing it to short-circuit, and the akuma is released. She pulls the man to safety.

"No more evildoing for you, little akuma!" she yells at the retreating insect. Then, "Time to De-evilize!" She captures the akuma, with a "gotcha!" She then releases the now-white bug. "Bye-bye, little butterfly!" Finally, she throws her empty water bottle into the air with her famous cry, "Miraculous Ladybug!"

The spell is broken, and all the citizens who had been captured-and _played_-are released, and all damage restored. It's another victory for the superhero duo. But Cat Noir wants to talk to Ladybug, and asks if she'll join him on the top floor of the Tower for the few minutes they have left before changing back. She agrees.

"So, Milady...have you given any more thought to my request?" the cat asks with hopefulness in his voice and a tender look in his eyes. Marinette can't help but feel warm and flattered by both-though she realizes that is this very thing that usually gets on her nerves, even after discovering his feelings for her for are real, as are his words of charm that she once thought only for show.

"About that," the heroine begins, "I really haven't had much time to think about it yet, but...I don't know if I can make such a big decision by myself. Would you...would you mind if I got a little outside advice with this from someone in the know?" Her eyes are as hopeful as Cat Noir's voice.

"Someone in the know?" Adrien asks softly, curious. "Who might that be?"

Marinette is taken aback by just how different Cat Noir still seems to be since the last time they met like this. His very presence is so soothing now...she completely forgets that this guy usually annoys her to death.

"W-well...I sorta _know _the guy who gave both of us our Miraculous. He's very wise and knows _everything _about Miraculous powers and Kwami, so I thought he would be the one to ask. I believe you yourself have met him before...I mean, I'm not sure what all he told you, but only HE could have given your Kwami a power up. So then...Would it be okay for me to consult him about this before I decide?"

Adrien is shocked. He did not really know who the man truly was, just that he was, as Ladybug had put it, "someone in the know." But here his precious Ladybug KNOWS the guy, well enough to ask his advice on transforming for one another? Amazing!

"Well," the kitty purrs, "that _does _sound reasonable. But...do you think _I _could meet him too, Ladybug?" He sounds eager and nervous at the same time. But he wants to learn more about this mysterious man, and what all he knows about magic powers.

"I mean, you are right, I _have _met him, and he _did _supply me with a power boost for my Kwami, but I still don't know anything beyond that. I have a lot of questions! I don't mind you consulting him privately or anything, but do you think I could officially meet him just once? Maybe get a few questions answered?"

"Um..." begins an equally-and as Ladybug, very contradictory to her usual superhero self-nervous young lady. "I'm not sure. I mean, I don't _think_ he would mind, considering he chose you too, but I can't just assume and bring you to where he lives. May I have a moment to call him?"

Cat Noir grins. She didn't say no! How could he deny her request?

"Sure, Ladybug, go right ahead," he says with a smile. "I'll go to the far side of this roof and keep my back turned so you can talk in private. I'll revert too so I can recharge my Kwami while I'm over there. But it won't take me long to do that, so don't keep me waiting too long!"

Marinette nods, and Adrien smiles sweetly at her. It makes her heart skip a beat in spite of herself. Then Adrien moves away.

Ladybug turns back into Marinette to recharge her _own _Kwami, tells Tikki what she plans to do, and asks her opinion. Tikki tells Marinette that she can't be completely positive without asking the Guardian himself, but that she's pretty sure he would be fine with meeting Cat Noir personally, considering that it was he who chose Adrien in the first place. Furthermore, Tikki believes Master Fu would be fine with the two of them exposing thier true identities to one another, as they are both trustworthy and reliable, but that she cannot speak for the man. So Marinette returns to her superhero form, and places the call.

"I...I...I have something to tell you, Master," she says after exchanging greetings. "I hope you don't get upset about it. But I told Cat Noir about you. But just that I know you and that he's met you, I swear! I didn't give him your name or address or anything like that!"

Master Fu chuckles. "Of course I'm not upset, Marinette. It's fine that you told him. In fact, I don't mind if you DO give him my name and address! I trusted him enough to give him a Miraculous, and then to deliver to him a Power-up for his Kwami in person. Plus, if I can trust _you _with my identity, and _you _trust _him _enough to tell him about me, then I have no reason to complain. But surely you didn't call me simply to tell me that, did you?"

Shrewd as always, the Guardian hit the proverbial nail on the head. "Well," Marinette begins, "some things have happened and some questions need to be answered that only you can answer so I need to come see you to ask you but now that Cat Noir knows about you, he wants to meet you too and it's okay if you say no, really it is!"

"Calm down, Marinette, it's alright. No need to be nervous. There is nothing to worry about. Feel free to visit me _anytime _with your questions, and I see no reason to turn Cat Noir away. Why don't you _both _come join me for tea? Say, four o'clock tomorrow?"

Marinette is surprised, but relieved. "Really? Oh, thank you Master! We'll be there!"

"I'm looking forward to it. See you _both _then. Goodbye for now."

Marinette is unexpectedly happy to hear that her _and _her counterpart were invited to have tea with the Master the following day. She calls out to Cat Noir to come back, then tells him what the Guardian said.

Adrien is thrilled. Once given the address, he promises to arrive there promptly at four p.m. But he has a couple of questions first, about who exactly the man is, and Marinette now feels free to tell him everything she knows. Sharing such secrets with Cat Noir is a bonding experience for them both, though it rather troubles Marinette, who is beginning to feel a little betrayed by her own heart-for starting to _like _Cat Noir when she's _in love _with Adrien Agreste!

After discussing the Guardian and Kwami and Miraculous for a while, the pair realize that the sun is going down and that they should both be getting home soon. They are _both _reluctant to leave the rooftop and go their separate ways. But they bid each other farewell anyway to head to their respective homes.

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Marinette and Adrien-as Ladybug and Cat Noir-both arrive promptly at the Master's home. Greetings are exchanged, official introductions are made, and tea is served. Cat Noir asks Wang many questions, many of which Ladybug had never thought to ask. It's a fascinating conversation. But it starts getting late, and Ladybug needs to get to the point. She politely asks the cat if he can go ahead to the top floor of the Eiffel Tower and wait for her, as she wants a moment alone with the Guardian. Adrien is happy to oblige.

"Master," Marinette begins once Adrien is gone, "Cat Noir wants to show me his true identity. And I'm beginning to want to do the same for him. But I don't know if it's ok to do that. I mean, we've been sworn to secrecy for good reason, right? What do you advise?"

"Marinette, my dear, it is true that there is good reason to keep your identities secret-there are forces in the world who would use that information to harm you if they knew. But secrets are _meant _to be shared between close friends who trust each other, when the time is right. If you both trust each other to keep the truth under wraps from the _rest _of the world, then I take no issue with either of you revealing yourselves. You simply have to ask yourselves if you trust one another that much, and if you are both prepared for the consequences. The truth can be disappointing, sometimes, or frightening. And once you know each other's real identities, it will certainly affect the dynamics of your relationship. You must feel confident that your friendship will endure no matter who he is to you undisguised, and vice versa. You must use logic when making your decision, but do not neglect your heart either. If you trust each other enough, if your friendship is strong enough, you will both survive the consequences of the unveiling even if the surprise is beyond anything you would expect. But I cannot tell you what you should do. It is a decision only you can make. Cat Noir has already made his choice; he has no doubt. You must ask yourself if you do. Understand?"

Marinette smiles and nods, surprisingly happy with the Guardian's words. She is unsure at this point exactly how she DOES feel about both of them revealing themselves, but at least now she knows it isn't _wrong _to do so. She has a decision to make, and a lonely cat is awaiting her answer. Thus, she thinks it all over on her way to the Eiffel Tower.

_The thing is, I DO have doubt-at least about showing him MY self. I think I can handle finding out who HE really is, but I'm not certain that I'm ready for him to know ME. I mean I do rather want him to now, but I feel somewhat afraid. Of what, I'm not exactly sure. But I cannot deny that it is there. I guess for now, I will tell him that he can show me his face, but I may not have the courage to do the same. But will that anger him? No, surely not. He told me I didn't have to do the same; he told me he simply wants me to know the real him. He should be sati__s__fied, then, if that is all I can do at this point in time._

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"What took you so long," asks an eager cat with a devilish grin.

"Oh, sorry for making you wait. But I have decided. If you still want to show me, I will allow it. But even though I want to return the favor, I'm not sure I can. I mean, I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet. Is...is that okay?"

Adrien's eyes grow wide and his mouth ovals in surprise. He had HOPED for the best answer possible, but EXPECTED the worst, so he is happily surprised at her final reply to his request. "It's _more _than okay, Ladybug! I'm _thrilled_! Like I said, I just want you to know the real me. I think, in time, you will want the same. But for now..." He smiles joyfully, his eyes sparkling. The night is clear, stars shining brightly, a picture-perfect place and time for a buoyed Adrien to expose his real face. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath in. He holds out his ring-hand, fist clenched. His smile widens as he utters the words that he believes-this time-will change his life. "Plagg, claws in!"

Marinette watches with intense interest as Cat Noir begins to fade into a "real human boy." But when the transformation is complete...

"A-A-Adrien? It really IS you?" The bug is truly shocked. She had thought herself crazy for thinking it could POSSIBLY be him before. But now...here stands before her the guy she loves!

"Y-you know me, Ladybug?" asks a deeply curious Adrien. "Then that means...you ARE in my class?"

Marinette is dumbfounded. The love of her life is also the guy she recently developed feelings for, her superhero partner! And _he _loved _her! _Her heart races at that idea, but...

_Does this mean Adrien loves me back? I want to believe that, but...he's never shown any sign of loving _Marinette, _only Ladybug! W-would he be disappointed if he knew who I was? Oh! And the awful way I've treated him! How many times have I _rejected _him? Pushed him away! He's tried to KISS me and I blocked it! In fact, I once kissed HIM to break him out of a spell, and I thought of it as a terrible CHORE I had to perform! It was my first kiss, WITH ADRIEN and my mind was completely in the wrong place! How could I not have known? Oh, all this time, I've been SHRINKING from the touch of the person I love most in the world! I'm a terrible person! There is no way he would still love me if he knew who I really am. I've treated him so badly. And in everyday life I'm nothing more than a friend to him, anyway. There is no way I can show him my unmasked face NOW._

Ladybug is visibly distressed. Her face is twisted as if she were in pain, sweat appears across her wrinkled brow, her breath is shaky. She is staring ardently at the boy before her, yet her eyes seem quite distant. Adrien immediately assumes it's because she is disappointed in who he turned out to be. He bows his head, already regretting what he just did.

Dejected, Adrien apologizes before Marinette can find a word to say to him. "Ladybug, I'm sorry. This was obviously a mistake. I shouldn't have pushed you. Please forgive me. I have to go now." With that, Adrien turns his back to Ladybug and pole-vaults away.

"A-Adrien, wait!" shouts Marinette. She does not know exactly what to say to him, but she doesn't want him to regret what just happened; he did nothing wrong. She couldn't stand the sad expression on his face, knowing that she herself had put it there by choosing silence when he transformed before her. "Adrien, please come back!"

But it is too late. He is gone.

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Marinette lands on her balcony. It's after dark; she knows she needs to go in soon or her parents will worry. But for now, she needs the open space to think. She envies the uncluttered sky. The landscape of her mind, at the moment, is a mess. She's still worried that Adrien will be disappointed when he finds out who she is. She's still worried how he will-or rather, _won't_-feel about her. She's still feeling guilty over the way she has treated him as Cat Noir. And now, she also feels guilty for having made Adrien think _she_ was disappointed in _him. _She knows that she has to rectify this situation somehow, but she isn't sure exactly how. The Master's insightful words come back to haunt her: "The truth can be disappointing, sometimes, or frightening. And once you know each other's real identities, it will certainly affect the dynamics of your relationship. You must feel confident that your friendship will endure no matter who he is to you undisguised, and vice versa."

_The Master was so right. Because Adrien transformed for me, *I'm* afraid, and *he's* disappointed. He's at home thinking he's disappointed _me_ right now. He's suffering because of me. And now...how will this change our friendship, as Ladbybug and Cat Noir, and possibly even as Adrien and Marinette? I have GOT to figure out what to do about this. What can I say to mend the crack I put in his heart? Do such words even exist? And how do I get past this unsettling fear? _She sighs heavily, a hefty burden on her shoulders.

Finally, Marinette goes inside to bid her unsuspecting parents goodnight, and gets into bed. But sleep escapes her. She tosses and turns and ponders and wonders all night. And then a harsh new day begins.

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Adrien is heartbroken. He had disappointed the woman he loved just by _being him._ He had not expected Ladybug to jump for joy or embrace him or suddenly fall in love with him, but he _had _expected her to accept him. _This _rejection was far worse than any other she had ever given him.

_This is all my fault. I shouldn't have pushed her. She obviously was not ready to know the truth. She was hoping for someone better, I guess. Maybe someone who's more like Cat Noir every day. I wonder which girl she is, anyway. Who exactly have I disappointed? She knows me; she must be in my class. So which girl dislikes me so much? I mean, that horrified look on Ladybug's face when she saw me unmasked...she must really detest me. But no one in my class has ever shown any signs of hatred toward me...it's truly a mystery. I wonder if she will even speak to me at s__c__hcool tomorrow. Of course I won't know which girl it is by who talks to me and who doesn't, anyway. My conversations with girls other than the persistent Chloe are pretty random. I won't know if I'm being avoided or treated normally. Oh, why did I have to insist on showing her?_

With a heavy sigh and an even heavier heart, Adrien gets into bed. He closes his eyes and tries to forget his worries, but his churning stomach won't allow it. The restless night of emotional torture seems to go on forever. But eventually, the sun comes up-and it's time to "face" the girl who not only doesn't return his feelings for her, but actually _dislikes_ him. Even if he doesn't know which one it is going to be that he's having to face and won't know it when he's doing it.

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Adrien can't help but try to figure out which girl it is who is Ladybug's true identity. He scans the classroom as discreetly as possible, looking for any signs of distress. He assumes that if she was so disappointed in him last night, she would still be so today, and it might just show on her face. But every girl in class seems to be as chipper as always, and every one of them who catches him glancing in her direction smiles or waves at him. He wonders if she is one of them, anyway, simply trying to be nice. After all, disappointed or not, Ladybug is kind. He knows she had not meant to hurt him. Even if she did not care much for his _normal _personality.

But there was one missing. Marinette. The girl he had started to feel a bit romantic about despite his affection for Ladybug. _Could it possibly be her? I mean, she isn't here, and Marinette never misses school...but she IS frequently late, so maybe she'll be here shortly. Either way, though, I STILL can't be sure._

Just then, in walks the very girl Adrien was just thinking about, late for class and babbling excuses to the teacher. He watches her take her seat. But she doesn't seem to notice him. He's not sure if that's the avoidance he would expect of a disappointed Ladybug, or simply a typically distracted and dazed Marinette. He also notices, however, that she looks simply exhausted-_again. _Could it be because she was Ladybug and was up all night pondering how to deal with a guy you don't like being your partner in saving the city? Or was it really the noisy neighbors she reported the last time? The very day after he first proposed that he reveal his identity to her? It does look like it could be her, he has to admit that, but he also has no proof. Plus, there is the fact that Marinette is far too spacey and clumsy to be Ladybug...isn't she?

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Marinette gives a hasty and frazzled explanation to her teacher as to why she is late, and then takes her seat-unable to set her eyes upon Adrien just yet. But from behind her book, she sneaks peeks, hoping to see him more cheerful today than how she saw him last night.

Unfortunately, though, he still looks pretty miserable-not to mention tired-the one time she catches his full face as he returns from getting up to sharpen his pencil.

_It's all my fault. I made Adrien think I was disappointed in him because I didn't say a word to him after he transformed back for me. And with the awful things I was thinking of and feeling at the time must have also put a seriously ugly look on my face. He must think I hate him! Oh, I'm so stupid. Adrien is suffering because I let my own guilt and insecurity take over me instead of thinking of how _he _felt! How selfish and careless of me. I HAVE to find a way to fix this! I have to let him know that I am not disappointed! But how? Do I just SAY that the next time we work together? Would he even believe me?_

Marinette spends the rest of the day pondering, looking for a solution. All who comment on her lack of concentration on schoolwork and apparent fatigue get the same excuse as the last time, noisy neighbors having kept her up all night. None seem to doubt it. But she does not know if Adrien accepts that answer or not, since she cannot face him directly until she comes up with SOME kind of idea of what to say.

But more of the Master's words resound in Marinette's head: "You must feel confident that your friendship will endure no matter who he is to you undisguised, and vice versa." With that in mind, finally, near the end of the school day, it dawns on her. _It's so simple! It's a little risky, to my OWN heart, but I think it's the only way. I HAVE to do this. I HAVE to fix what I broke! _Thus, she sneaks a note into Adrien's locker during a "bathroom break."

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Adrien arrives at the rooftop listed in the note he found in his locker to find Ladybug awaiting him. As per her request, he's in his everyday form.

"Hi," he says uneasily, not quite able to meet her eyes.

"Hi, Adrien. Listen, um...I uh...I have some things to tell you. W-will you hear me out?" Her voice is soft and pleading but at the same time nervous, and had he been looking, Adrien would have seen that her face was the same.

"Of course, Ladybug." He meets her eyes, then, figuring she deserves that kind of respect when she has something to say to him. He notices her expression then, and suddenly feels bad for running off so fast the night before. He had obviously ended up hurting _her _just because he himself was hurt.

"Um, er, I've got to tell you some stuff and um it's kinda hard to say but I just felt so ashamed cuz I was so mean but that was before I knew you were him and he was you and you were each other..." She punctuates her last statement with a finger pointing to Adrien, then the space next to his head, then crossing both hands, fingers pointing in opposite directions; then continues at break-neck speed without taking a breath. "...and then I got scared cuz you love her but not me and I do you and I'm not disappointed at all and I didn't mean to make you feel bad." She takes a deep breath in. "Um...understand?" Her eyes are full of doubt, pleading with Adrien to get the message she was oh-so-uneloquently verbalizing.

"Wait, _slow down, _Ladybug. That was a whole lot at once, and pretty confusing. I'm not exactly sure what you mean. Why don't you take it from the top at a slower speed? " _She sounds JUST like Marinette, _he thinks to himself.

Marinette begins again, this time trying not to rush through quite so fast and to be more articulate, to moderate success. "Well...you see...I know I really hurt you, and I'm so sorry about that. I'm not the _least_ bit disappointed that you're Adrien, I swear! In fact, I think it's wonderful! But I just couldn't SAY anything when I saw you, because I felt so bad about how I treated Cat Noir not knowing he was _you_, and I felt insecure because you told me you loved me, but that's only Ladybug. The real you doesn't have feelings for the real me at all, and so I got scared, too, and with all those awful things on my mind, I just couldn't speak. I'm really sorry, Adrien. Please forgive me."

"Oh, Ladybug," Adrien begins sympathetically, taking her hands into his own and looking directly into her eyes, "please don't feel bad. You haven't mistreated me, and I'm fine now that I know you're not disappointed in me...but most of all..." He pulls the Lady's hands to bring her body closer to his, to where their faces are only a couple of inches apart, "I _love _you, no matter who's face you're wearing underneath that mask. You can't possibly disappoint me. I'm sorry if I don't show you any emotion outside of being superheros; that's just kind of hard to do when I don't know which girl is Ladybug. But I know who you _are_; what kind of person you are. I know that you are that same person in real life, too, and I need only to see your face to tell you how I feel properly. I promise my feelings for you won't go away when I finally get to see you without your mask on. Please don't let this trouble you anymore. Don't let _anything _concerning me bother you anymore. OK? I want you to be happy! Oh, and I'm sorry too. For running away from you last night. I guess I got scared, too. So... do you think we can go back to the way things were now?" He smiles gently at the polka-dotted insect.

Marinette breaths a sigh of relief, briefly looking down. She then smiles at him as she answers his question. "Well..._not exactly."_

Cat Noir's face reflects his surprise at this statement, but he tells himself not to overreact again. So he smiles back, and drops her hands. He opens his mouth to bid her a farewell, thinking the conversation is over now, but Marinette speaks up.

"We can't exactly go back to the way things were, because...I have something to show you that might change things." She takes a deep breath in and lets it out slowly, closing her eyes. Then she whispers, "Tikki...spots off."

Adrien is so shocked, he steps back a little. He watches with wide eyes and open mouth as a familiar face emerges from the swirl of magic as Ladybug transforms back to her normal state in front of his eyes. It's a dream come true!

"M-M-Marinette! It IS you!"

Marinette is very nervous-closer to terrified-but she locks eyes with Adrien anyway, needing to see his reaction.

"I-is this okay?" she asks insecurely. Her eyes reflect her fear.

A smile slowly spreads across a speechless Adrien's face. Then he wraps his arms around her, pulls her to him, and whispers into her ear, "It's _more _than ok, Marinette. I'm _glad _it's you. I was actually _hoping _it would be you."

Marinette can feel his breath in her hair, his body warm and close, and she can hear the sincerity in his voice. Her heart swells in ecstasy. Not only was he not disappointed, but he _wanted _her to be Ladybug!

_This means he really DOES have feelings for me...doesn't it? _she wonders to herself. But she doesn't have to wonder for long.

Adrien steps back from Ladybug, placing his hands on her shoulders, and looking into her eyes lovingly, a warm smile on his face. "Marinette, I love you. I love BOTH of you."

That's it. Marinette can't hold it in any longer now. She bursts into happy tears, and Adrien embraces her once again.

"I-I-I'm s-so happy," she sobs. "I can't believe it! It's too good to be true! Thank you, Adrien. Thank you so much!"

"My pleasure, Milady," he says, stroking her hair.

After a few moments of this shared bliss, Marinette dries up her tears and steps back from Adrien to look into his face. "Ya know, there's something else. Remember when I told you I was in love with someone else?"

"How could I forget?" whispers a frowning Adrien, casting his gaze down. "Well...I was talking about _you!"_

Adrien's eyes shoot up, joyful surprise written all over his face. "Me?"

"Yes! I've been waiting a _very _long time to say this to you, Adrien..._I love you!"_

Adrien beams at Marinette.

"Then, in that case...Marinette, will you go out with me? I mean...will you be my girlfriend?"

Marinette yells an enthusiastic "yes!" at him and throws her arms around his neck.

When they come apart again, Adrien takes Marinette's hand in his, making her heart pound, saying, "let me walk you home..._Milady."_

Marinette grins. The pair walk hand-in-hand toward the girl's house.

"Ya know, Marinette, truth be told...I was starting to get a little bit upset at myself. I knew how I felt about Ladybug, yet...here lately, I felt myself strangely attracted to _you. _Now it all makes sense!"

Marinette's eyes widen as she glances sideways at the boy walking at her side. "Really? Me too! I mean, I was getting confused too, because I was so devoted to Adrien, yet, I recently kind of started to have feelings for Cat Noir that I didn't understand. Guess I understand it now!" She beams at her companion, and he laughs out loud at the irony, making Marinette do the same.

Soon, the pair arrive at Marinette's doorstop.

"Well, I guess this is where we say good-bye for the day," begins Adrien. "I wish we had more time, though."

Marinette nods her agreement. They are now facing each other, close together, anticipation in the air.

"Well, that being the case..." Adrien says with a sideways grin. "I'm going to do something I've been waiting _forever _to do!"

With that, he closes the distance between their faces, and gently presses his lips to hers.

Two hearts surge in tandem, warmth and electricity spreading through two bodies.

_This seems like such a dream! _Marinette thinks to herself. _Yet it's so real! I'm actually KISSING my precious Adrien! I mean, for the REAL first kiss! It's eve__ry__thing I ever thought it would be!_

_This too good to be true! _thinks an elated Adrien. _I waited so long for this, but it's so worth it! I could die now and I wouldn't even notice cuz I'm already in heaven!_

Finally, the two break apart, rosy cheeks adorning matching smiles. They make plans for the the following day, and then finally, reluctantly, part ways.

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Marinette _floats _into her bedroom. She can't WAIT to tell Alya about the wonderful things that happened to her tonight! But she _hates _the idea of _lying _to her best friend about the REAL circumstances behind them. The one person she most wants to share the reality of her remarkable experiences with tonight, is Alya. So she decides to make a call or two...

"Miss me already, do ya?" he jokes, though he's obviously happy that she's calling him.

"Yeah, actually I do. But that's not why I called. Um...what exactly are we going to tell our friends? They're all going to want to know how this happened..."

"Yeah, you're right. I hadn't thought about that. Why don't we just say that we ran into each other in the park and I asked you out there?"

"Works for me! But...just for school. Um...listen...I know we just barely shared our secret identities with _each other, _Adrien...but...there is one more person I'd really like to know the truth. The _whole _truth. And I'm absolutely certain that she won't EVER tell a soul. H-how would you feel about that, exactly? I mean, um, if Master Fu is ok with it too, that is..."

"You mean Alya, right? I mean, she IS your best friend. If you trust her, La-er, uh, Marinette, then _I _trust _you. _You can tell her. I mean, if you're sure. And, of course, if the Guardian is on board with it too."

"Oh, thank you, Adrien! I will call Master Fu right away!"

"No problem, Marinette. But I have to go now, as much as I enjoy talking to you. Chinese lesson I can't get out of."

"O-oh, of course. Thanks again, Adrien. For absolutely _everything!"_

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Marinette calls Master Fu. It's dark out, making it feel very late, especially after such a long and eventful day, but it's actually only seven p.m. Marinette nervously questions the Master once more.

"W-well...Adrien and I have shared our identities with one another, and the result is more wonderful than you can imagine! B-but...there is...just one more person we would like to share with. My best friend Alya. Ya know, the one we gave the Fox Miraculous to and she became Rena Rouge? I'd say she's proven her trustworthiness for this, as well as her trustworthiness to me as a friend. Oh, and I've already talked to Adrien about it, and he's fine with it! So...what do you say, Master Fu?"

"Hmmm. Sounds to me like you have already made up your mind, my young friend. You do not need _my _permission. If you are ready to take the responsibility for yet another person knowing your secret-and Cat Noir's-then I say, _trust yourself._ If you have doubt, you probably shouldn't do it. You will always be worried whether or not you made the right decision, wonder if and when she might betray your confidence, wonder if it was a mistake to let yet one more person in on _two more _superhero secrets. But if your mind and heart are at peace with your decision and you have no doubt-and you are prepared to deal with whatever reaction she may have to learning the truth-you have my blessing. _Not that you really need it."_

"Really, Master Fu? Oh, thank you so much! This is no mistake, I honestly believe that with all my heart! I just can't thank you enough!"

"Any time, my dear. Any time."

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"Alya, I know it's getting late, but can you come over for a little while? I have something _extremely _important to tell you. Or show you. Well, both, really. It's something that can only be shared face-to-face. Can you make it?"

"Well...if it's really that important to you, I guess I can come over. But I have to be in bed at ten, ya know, so don't dally, ok?"

"Sure thing!"

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"Alya. Um...I'm kinda nervous about this, cuz I'm not sure how you're gonna take it. But I want you to know the truth. ALL of it. Please don't get mad, ok?"

Alya giggles. "Marinette, you're acting like you're talking to ADRIEN here! Lighten up, girl, I'm your best friend! Whatever you've got to tell me, or show me, or whatever, I can almost guarantee you I won't be mad."

"Well, the thing is...I've kinda been _lying _to you about a few things, for quite a while now, because I had to. But I think I can trust you with the truth now. I just hope you don't get mad at me for hiding this from you so long, and not telling you the truth sooner."

"Girl, what in THE WORLD are you going on about? What lies? What truth? Whatever it is, if you believed you were doing the right thing, I'm sure I'll understand. Just tell me, ok?" Alya squeezes Marinette's arm lovingly, a reassuring smile on her face. It puts Marinette a bit more at ease.

"Well...you know how I'm always late and I disappear a lot and I always have weird excuses for all that and stuff?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Well here's the reason for all that." She takes a deep breath in and closes her eyes. As she exhales, she utters the words that will bring on yet another change in the girl's personal life: "Tikki, spots on!"

Alya watches in utter amazement as Marinette transforms into her hero, the Miraculous Ladybug.

"So...what do you think, Alya?" Marinette asks quite nervously, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Oh-my-GOD! I'M BEST FRIENDS WITH _THE _LADYBUG!" Alya throws her arms around an extremely relieved Marinette. "Now it all makes sense! Wow, and here I thought I had such good instincts. I never really considered you, seeing as how clumsy you are and everything. But don't worry about anything, Lady-er, uh, Marinette-I totally get why you had to hide the truth. After all, it was _you _who made me a temporary superhero a couple of times, remember? And Rouge never revealed herself to Marinette, either! I get it, it's perfectly ok. Thank you for telling me! Say, does this mean I can get an exclusive interview, then?" Alya is all teeth, grinning from ear to ear.

Marinette giggles. The pressure was finally released, and there wasn't even a _hint _of anger. Alya really understood, true to her word. And she was happy to know the truth!

"Well, that's just part ONE, Alya. There's more. I'm _dying _to tell you what happened to me today! In fact, it's the reason I felt the need to come clean to you _tonight, _as late as it is. You're never gonna believe this!"

Alya is all ears-not to mention shock, excitement, and sheer joy-at hearing Marinette's story about how Cat Noir turned out to be the one and only Adrien Agreste, and that the two lovebirds _finally_ got together! She is thrilled for both of her friends. Soon, however, Alya has to go. It's a school night.

"Just one thing before I go, though, Marinette...You and Adrien getting together will be a total _bombshell _at school tomorrow! I mean this is a pretty big scoop! What are you going to tell people? OH, speaking of which...what about Chloe? She'll definitely hear about it, and she's NOT going to take it well! How do you plan to handle THAT hot mess?"

"Well, Adrien and I intend to tell people that we met each other in the park and he asked me out there and I said yes. Simple, but believable, or so we hope. As for the _hot mess..._um...I guess I'll just have to tell her that Adrien decided on his own to go out with me, so it's not up to her. Besides, I'm not going to let her intimidate me anymore, especially where Adrien is concerned!"

Alya giggles. "Boy, Marinette, bagging Adrien has seriously boosted your confidence, girl!"

"I suppose it has..." Marinette smiles, realizing that Alya's words are true.

The two friends part ways, and Marinette hops into bed, ruminating about the day's remarkable events. Morning seems to come quickly, though she had spent the majority of the night _not sleeping._

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The hallways of the high school are _abuzz _about this new development the next morning. Sabrina reaches Chloe just in time to see her catching the news from a classmate. Sabrina _knows _this is going to be bad.

Chloe tilts her nose into the air. "Seriously?" she responds to the classmate. "You MUST be joking. There is _no way _my Adrikins would choose someone else over _moi, _much less that lowlife _Marinette. _Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous! Hmph!"

With that, Chloe enters the classroom, Sabrina right behind her. Chloe stops in her tracks, causing Sabrina to bump into her.

Sabrina apologizes, expecting to get yelled at, but doesn't hear a word. Then she sees why. Adrien is turned around in his seat, clutching one of Marinette's hands in his own, the new couple sharing pinked-cheek smiles and small talk. Sabrina can see the hurt, disappointment, and anger on Chloe's face. But before she can say anything to her best friend, Chloe pulls a...well, a Chloe.

The biting blond waltzes over to Adrien's desk. She grabs the arm he has stretched across Marinette's desk and pulls him to his feet.

"_Excuse us, _Marinette. But I need Adrikin's help with something over _here..."_

Chloe attempts to pull Adrien along with her back to her own desk, wrapping her arm around Adrien's like she usually does.

Adrien, who normally just _tolerates _Chloe's uncomfortable shmoozing, gently yet firmly pries Chloe's arm off of his, planting his fead steadily in place and refusing to follow.

"Chloe," he says tenderly, "I'm really sorry, but...I have a girlfriend now. I can't really let other girls get too close to me, ya know? You understand, right?" He gives Chloe a gentle smile.

Chloe is silent for a moment, taking in the reality of the situation, a frown on her face. Finally, she speaks up. "But of course, I do, Adriki-er, uh, I mean, Adrien." She puts her nose in the air like always. "I'm a _lady _after all. Far be it from _me _to _interfere!"_ With that, the girl storms out of the room, snapping her fingers for a concerned Sabrina to follow.

Once out of earshot of all other ears, after the last class bell and not caring a bit, Chloe's facade crumbles. She begins to sob into her hands, Sabrina stretching an arm around the girl's back.

"Oh, Sabrina, it's true. It's true, it's true, it's true! How can this be? What does she have that I don't? I mean, _Marinette _of ALL people? I'm _way _cuter, smarter, and richer! What else _is _there?"

"Well, I know this doesn't help much, Chloe, but some things just aren't meant to be. Someday you'll find someone even better for you!"

"Ha! Adrien is a _fashion model, _he's totally _hot, _and his family is even richer than _mine! _Who else is going to beat all _that?"_

"I know this is something you have a hard time understanding, Chloe, but there are some things in this world more important than money or looks. I mean I'm _your _friend because I _like _you, not because you're so pretty or have so much money."

"R-really, Sabrina?"

"Of course! And I will _always _be your friend, no matter what. You'll _never _lose me."

Chloe, feeling a little bit better now, but still upset, remembers then what had made her notice Adrien in the first place.

"Sabrina," she whispers, "I had to start preschool all by myself with a bunch of kids I didn't even know after Mommy left. Adrien was the first person to ever talk to me. He was _always _so nice to me. He was my first real friend. Do I...do I really have to give up on him now?"

"Well, it looks to me like you have to let him go as a romantic interest, but he will _still _be your friend. Adrien is nice to _everybody; _that won't change. And of course, never forget that you've still got _me. _I will _always _be there for you. I will _always _be your best friend. You will _never _have to feel alone again."

With that, Chloe's eyes finally dry up, and she stands up straight. "Ya know something Sabrina! I think, for once in your life, you're actually _right _about something!"

Sabrina smiles, and then the two girls burst into unexpected giggles. When they finally stop laughing, the pair work to fix Chloe's make-up, then return to class acting unphased and giving "medical reasons" as an excuse for why they had been in the bathroom, though they were fooling absolutely no one. Adrien and Marinette both give her concerned glances, but Chloe simply sticks her nose into the air with her typical "hmph!" and the pair realize that she is going to be okay.

THE END


	2. Part 2

A/N: This is part 2; you can go back and read part 1 if you missed it (Revelations: A Ladybug and Cat Noir Story [no part 1 in title]). But you don't have to to enjoy this story. All you need to know to enjoy this one is that Adrien and Marinette are now together and know each other's secrets. I'm thinking of doing a part 3 and possibly a lemon if there is any interest for either. Please let me know if you want a part 3 and if you want a lemon or not! Thank you!

Also, much thanks for my awesome daughter who beta'ed this for me! Couldn't have done this without her! :)

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A few weeks go by. Marinette and Adrien are "sickeningly happy," as Alya puts it. But they DO have a few kinks to work on. They occasionally _almost _call one another by their superhero names in their every-day forms, and by their every-day names in their superhero forms, but they are adjusting; no one suspects their dual identities. They also have a wee bit of trouble working together now that they are an official pair; worrying more about each other and sometimes being overly cautious when a riskier approach is called for. At times, their timing is a bit off as well. But these issues are minor, too, and the new couple is nearly back to full working order.

Their only real problem with their union is Adrien's lack of free time-and freeDOM. However, he has what he hopes is the answer.

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"Natalie," Adrian begins, "do you know where my father is? I have something important I want to talk to him about."

"He is in his study. But I'm sorry, Adrian, he has asked not to be disturbed."

The boy's head droops. "Of course he has. I'm nothing BUT a disturbance to him."

Despite her cold exterior, Natalie feels for the boy. She looks down in consideration for a moment, and then adds, "Well, it it's really important, I suppose I could ask him to spare five minutes or so..."

Adrian's head pops up with a smile. "Really? Oh, thank you, Natalie!"

"Sure. Follow me."

The two walk to Mr. Agreste's study, and Natalie knocks. "It's Natalie, sir, I'm coming in."

A moment later, Natalie emerges from the room containing the painting of Mrs. Agreste-and the not-so-secret safe. "You have five minutes, not a moment more. You know how busy your father is." She gives the young man a small smile.

"That's all I need! Thanks again, Natalie!"

"So what is so important that you must interrupt my work?" says a slightly agitated Gabriel Agreste, facing the painting, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Well, it's probably not too terribly important to you, but it is to me."

Gabriel turns to face his son. "Well, what is it?"

"I-I'm sorry for interrupting you, Father, but...do you remember Marinette DuPain-Cheng, the girl who won the design contest for the hat I wore at one of my modeling gigs?"

"Yes, what about her?"

"W-well, Father, um...she's...well, she's my girlfriend now. And I really want you to meet her, face-to-face. Would that be possible?"

"Absolutely not. I do not have time to entertain teenagers. Is THAT what was so important?"

"But Father-"

"I said no. Please leave me be now, I have work to do."

"Father, when you and Mom started dating, wasn't it important to you for her to meet YOUR family?"

Gabriel's eyes widen at the sudden full-frontal "attack." The man grumbles a moment, his brow furrowed, but does not eject his son from the room as the boy half-expects.

"Very well. I suppose I can spare half an hour somewhere. Check with Natalie, perhaps on Sunday we can have brunch or tea. Will that satisfy you?"

Adrien grins. "Yes sir! Thank you, Father! You're really going to like her, she's very nice."

"However, you should know I have actually already met her. She returned the book she stole from you after YOU stole it from me!"

Adrien's eyes and mouth widen at this.

"R-really? O-oh, I didn't realize, she never said anything to me about it...b-but she did return it, and she really IS very nice! She doesn't normally do things like that and-"

"Nevermind that, it's fine. I'll give her a chance, since she's obviously important to _you."_

Adrian lets out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank you Father."

"Mm. Alright then, I must return to my work. And you should be practicing piano, should you not?"

"I'll get right to it, Father! Thank you!"

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Marinette arrives right on time at the Agreste home, a platter of warm crepes in hand. She had insisted on providing the traditional French dish since her family were patissieres-and she wanted to make a good impression this time. Natalie greets her at the door and invites her in; then the three parties all take their seats on the veranda in the fresh spring air. Gabriel provides the green tea.

"So, Marinette..." Gabriel begins as he pours three cups of tea, "how long have you been interested in fashion designing?"

"Oh, only most of my life, Mr. Agreste!" the guest says with a nervous smile.

"Please, call me Gabriel."

"O-oh, ok, sure! Um...th-thank you so much, and you too Adrien, for inviting me here today! I'm very happy to be here!"

Then she does it again. She pulls a Marinette and spills her hot tea all over the table.

Adrien giggles under his breath, not wanting to embarass his girlfriend, but finding her clumsiness cute. It's so...Marinette!

"Oh, I am so sorry! Please, let me just clean that up..." But then she flips the tray of crepes into the floor trying to wipe off the tea from the table with her napkin. "Oh no! Mr. Agreste, I am SOOO sorry! I am such a clutz! I apologize. I'll take care of it!"

"No need, Marinette. It's ok, just relax. Natalie?"

"Yes, sir. I'm on it."

"No, please, allow me!"

"Nonsense, Mrs. DuPain-Cheng. That's what my assistant is for-assisting! Please relax. You needn't be so nervous."

Marinette sighs. "I guess it IS pretty obvious, isn't it?" says a pink-cheeked Marinette as Natalie cleans up the mess.

"You can say that again!" agrees Adrien with a truly happy smile that makes Marinette forget her awkwardness for a moment. "Well, I guess that's ONE way to break the ice, Marinette!" The boy chuckles, making Marinette do the same.

"OK, let's try this again, ok? Mr.-er, uh-Gabriel, I have been designing clothing of my own since I first learned to sketch and sew when I was about six. What about you? What led you to become a fashion designer?"

"Oh, that's a rather long and boring story. I'd much rather hear about you."

Marinette is even more embarrassed now, being put into the spotlight, and Adrien is hardly saying anything! He seems to be quite enjoying her suffering, she thinks. But she can hardly hold it against him with how genuinely happy he looks. She knows he doesn't get much time with his father, so this was something special for him. Thus, she begins to ramble nervously in true Marinette style all about how she saw beautiful mannequins wearing beautiful clothing in store windows as a child, and even more beautiful real women buying and wearing those clothes, and how she had decided then that she wanted to MAKE such lovely things.

"I feel the same way, Marinette," the elder Agreste offers, "about clothing for women AND men, and even children-thus my son's modeling career. You seem to have a knack for it, winning my contest like that. I look forward to seeing _your _creations on store mannequins in the future."

"So do I!" chimes in a smiling Adrien. Despite the crazy start, this brunch was turning out quite well, the boy believes. His father seems honestly _interested _in Marinette, and even seems to like her, based on how respectfully he is treating her.

Marinette is still nervous, but Adrien's father's shared interest with her-and _in _her as a person-puts her a bit more at ease.

The three of them then go on to discuss other mundane things as Natalie brings in snacks from the kitchen to replace the crepes, until all have eaten and drunk their fill.

"Well, I must be getting back to work now, Marinette, as does my son. I thank you kindly for coming. I trust I shall see you again?"

"O-oh, of course! Again, I apologize for the disaster earlier. Next time I'll be more careful!"

"Think nothing of it. Adrien, will you escort our guest to the door? I really must be going."

"S-sure, Father, of course. Thank you for this, really!"

"Of course. It was nice to meet you _properly, _Marinette. Good day to you. Adrien, I do expect you to get back to practice once our company has returned home."

"Yes, Father!"

Marinette has never seen Adrien so happy. Nor did she expect his intimidating father to be so cordial and polite. Even her spilling and stammering didn't seem to annoy him. She feels quite relieved.

Once at the door, Marinette thanks Adrien again for a wonderful time, and the great opportunity to get to know his reclusive father better. Adrien, in turn, thanks Marinette for coming, and bringing him and his father together for a meal and tea and talk. He is visibly pleased, which adds to Marinette's _own _joy.

Then, after looking around for nosy eyeballs and finding none, Adrien gives his girlfriend a sweet and heartfelt kiss before saying goodbye.

Despite the "disaster", this had been a wonderful day for the two teens. They both hoped Mr. Agreste felt the same.

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Much to his glee and surprise, Adrien's plan worked! Mr. Agreste decides to _allow _Adrien free time outside the house, so long as he doesn't neglect his studies, and even allows Marinette to come over to listen to the young man play piano so long as she stays quiet and doesn't interrupt his practice. This gives the pair more time to spend together outside of school as a couple. Operation "Win Over Father" is a success!

Thus, Marinette becomes a familiar face within the palacial walls of the Agreste household. Once, she is even invited-by Gabriel himself-to dinner! Adrien is in shock over this, but delighted. Marinette wonders, however, if her presence somehow makes it easier for the elder Agreste to dine with his son, as some fathers and sons simply do not know how to communicate well. But whatever the reason, it makes Adrien very happy, which makes Marinette very happy in turn.

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Adrien has a question for his father one day, and sets out in search of him. He hears his father's voice behind the door of his study, and knocks just before pulling the door open-to find only Natalie standing there before the ever-present gaze of the immortalized Emilie Agreste.

"Natalie? Where's my father, I thought I heard his voice in here..."

"Oh, I was on the phone with him. He's out at the moment. He will return shortly. Do you have a message for him?"

"No, that's ok. I'll catch him later. Thank you."

_That's strange, _Adrien thinks to himself. _I KNOW I heard Father's voice in there, but it _couldn't _have been through Natalie's phone; she had her headset on. There's no way I could have heard him through that AND that heavy metal door! What is going on? Did I imagine it?_

He ponders about that and other strange things surrounding his father, and finally decides to talk to Marinette about it all. He gives her a call and asks her to meet him on one of their favorite rooftops with a lovely cityscape view.

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The couple sits on a ledge at the edge of the rooftop, as the waning sun highlights buildings and reflects off windows. "Marinette," begins Adrien, a frown on his face, facing forward. "The day I asked my dad if I could bring you over to meet him, he said YOU were the one who brought back a book I took from his safe about Superheroes, and then lost. Why didn't you tell me you found it?"

Marinette is surprised, but answers him truthfully. "Well, I didn't exactly FIND it. Lila took it from you when you weren't looking, and then tossed it in the trash when you almost caught her with it. Tikki and I got it back out. Turns out it's a rare and very special book that Master Fu calls the Grimoire. He took photos of every page before allowing me to take it back to your dad."

"Hmm. So there IS something more to that book than just being a gift from Mother. Can you tell me what's so special about it?"

"Well, I suppose I can now. It contains secrets about Miraculous and Kwami, which is how the Master was able to give us both power-ups for _our _Kwami. But the information is encoded, and only a Guardian can read it. Master Fu is the only one of those left, and there are parts of the book that even _he _can't translate. But why the sudden renewed interest, anyway?"

Adrian's tone darkens. "Well, remember when we thought that my dad could possibly be Hawkmoth? Well, he proved he wasn't by getting akumatized, but..." Adrien's face falls, and he stares at the cement so far down below his feet. "Well, I, uh...I'm worried that he might actually be working _with _Hawkmoth, as much as I _hate _that idea."

Marinette's eyes widen in surprise. "What? Why?"

Adrien continues to eyeball the landing below. "Well, truth be told, it's not exactly all of a sudden. I mean I never really forgot the other clues we had before, which made us consider him a suspect as Hawkmoth's true identity in the first place, like the butterfly symbols on just about _everything _in our house, and the fact that he had _any _book about heroes, much less one locked in a hidden safe-and now I have a possible _reason _for that, considering what the book actually contains. It's certainly something that would be of interest to Hawkmoth, or anyone working with him. Plus, as you said back then, my dad is very reclusive and secretive. It's that last part that's _really_ making me wonder now. I'm pretty darn sure that my father and Natalie are hiding something from me."

Marinette puts her hand on Adrien's shoulder to soothe him, and he looks up to meet her eyes. The girl asks, "What makes you suddenly think that, Adrien?"

"Today, I heard my dad's voice from inside his study where the hidden safe is, but when I came in, he wasn't there. Natalie said she had been talking to him on the phone, but she had her headset on. There's no WAY I heard him from outside the heavy metal door from a blue-tooth earpiece. Natalie and my dad are defininely hiding SOMETHING from me. I hope it has nothing to DO with Hawkmoth, but I can't be sure. W-would you be willing to help me...sorta sniff around sometime? To clear this up once and for all?" His eyes are as hopeful as his voice.

"Adrien," Marinette says softly, sympathy in her voice, "What if your dad IS keeping a secret from you, but for good reason? Like how you keep Cat Noir a secret from him? Do you really think we should invade his privacy like that?"

Adrien bows his head. "Maybe not. But I can't keep wondering like this, it's making me crazy. I can't relax and be happy knowing he _could _be in league with Hawkmoth. If I find out what he's hiding, and it's nothing bad-like if he turned out to be a superhero too-I would keep it to myself, I promise. I wouldn't mention it to him or anyone else, ever. And I know I can trust _you _to keep quiet. Please, Marinette, I _need _to know." He turns his head to Marinette with pleading eyes, a somber frown on his face.

Marinette sighs in defeat. "Well, I'm really against the idea, but I can't stand to see you upset like this. I'll help you. But...suppose the worst is true. Then what?"

Adrien echoes Marinette's sigh. "I don't really know. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, ok?"

"Alright, Adrien. But for now, let's go home and rest-and think. We're going to need some sort of plan if we're gonna do this without getting caught."

"Yeah, you're right. Well, I'll see you tomorrow and we'll figure it out then." He kisses his girlfriend good-bye, and then the pair take off in different directions, each homeward bound.

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The next morning, Adrien and Marinette meet up in front of the school and move off to the side of the building to talk privately for a moment.

"So have you thought of anything yet?" asks Marinette. 

"Well, sorta. I got half a plan, at least."

"Me too. You go first."

"Well...we have a security system at my house. Everything is recorded, and kept for a couple of weeks before being erased. I could hack into it and see where my dad went yesterday, but I don't know how to do it quickly, so I could end up getting caught by my dad or Natalie, because they never leave the house. I mean, I CAN get Natalie out of the way, but I don't know what to do about my father. At least not yet. That's all I got. What's your idea?"

"Well, I don't actually have any _plans, _per se. But I thought this might be an occasion where more information would be helpful. We know that SOMEONE helped Hawkmoth using the Peacock Miraculous. Yet we know nothing of its power. In fact, we don't even know how Hawkmoth's Miraculous is being used for evil, since Miraculous are meant only for good, or how whoever-he-is ended up with it. I thought maybe we could pay Master Fu a little visit and get some history on both of those Miraculous and how they ended up 'lost' in the first place, as well as how that one-of-a-kind book of secrets might have gotten to your dad, whether or not he has anything to do with Hawkmoth. I mean they say knowledge is power, right? Who knows how a little info might help us?"

"Hm. Well it certainly couldn't hurt. Why don't you go ahead and set a date for us with the Master, and I'll work on trying to find a way to get both Natalie and Father out of the house for a while soon."

"You got it!"

The couple exchange smiles, then put all things magical out of their minds for the time being. They walk to class hand in hand, smiles on their faces despite the darker thoughts lurking in the background.

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"My father thinks we're going to the movies, so I only have a couple of hours before I have to be back home. I hope that's enoguh."

"It should be. I mean, how long can a little history lesson take?" Marinette smiles at her boyfriend, then knocks on Master's Fu's door. After greetings are exchanged, the Guardian asks why the pair have come to see him.

"Master, we would like to know everything you can possibly tell us about the two Miraculous you don't have, the Peacock and Hawkmoth's Butterfly, as well as the Grimoire. If we know something about the history of these items, maybe it'll give us a clue as to Hawkmoth's identity."

"Oh? Do you have a suspect again? Why the sudden interest, if I may ask?"

"Well," Marienette, hesitates, glancing nervously at Adrien. He nods affirmatively. "Master, Adrien's father is behaving a bit mysteriously again. It may be nothing, but it could possibly be SOMETHING. We know he isn't Hawkmoth because he himself was akumatized, but he might be working with him. We would like to rule him out once and for all. And if we know what all you know, something might just jump out at us and give us a _new _suspect. Would you mind?"

"Hmm." The Master strokes his beard, thinking. "I guess it cannot hurt. But it is a rather painful story for me. Hawkmoth only wreaks havoc today because of _my _past mistake. But I will tell you. Please, have a seat."

"Thank you, Master," the couple chimes in unison. They take their seats as instructed and listen intently as Fu tells his story.

"Once upon a time, there were two Miraculous that complemented each other like Cat Noir's ring and Ladybug's earrings, and were nearly as powerful. The Peacock would send out a white feather that would "mayurize" a good person with a kind and strong heart, giving them the ability to create any manner of beast for defense or attack against evil. Similarly, the Butterfly sent out a white, winged insect to inhabit the body of a person with equally strong positive feelings, granting that person superhero powers decided upon by the Miraculous holder to battle evil. Together, they were almost undefeatable.

Now when I was still young and inexperienced, I was an Apprentice to the Order of the Guardians but foolishly believed I should be a full-fledged Guardian despite the Order's opinion that I was not yet ready. So I quite unwisely decided to _prove _my worthiness to them in the worst way possible. I took both of those Miraculous and gave them to a married couple I knew and trusted, Jin and Baozhai Zhang. But Jin had me completly fooled-he turned out to be a master manipulator with a hungry lust for power and thirsty greed for absolute dictatorship over the lands. His wife, Baozhai, wasn't so unscrupulous, but she was so dedicated to her husband that she would do _anything _to make his dreams come true.

So Jin's dark heart corrupted his Miraculous, the Peacock, causing its feathers to turn color and inhabit the bodies of those who experienced powerfully _negative_ emotions. Then the "mayurized" victims would summon beasts who would destroy and conquer in the name of their master's gluttony. Baozhai, in order to fulfill her husband's wishes, also corrupted the Butterfly in the same manner, blackening the wings of the akuma and further transforming the same people her husband had mayurized, making each victim twice as strong and twice as evil. The two Miraculous owners quickly gained power and land in this manner, but at a great cost. Jin's heart was so perverted by true evil, that it _tainted _the Peacock Miraculous-actually damaging it. The Kwami within could no longer recharge itself by eating due to the extent of the evil in its master's heart, so it began to steal the chi-or life force energy-from the wearer to sustain itself. Baozhai, though she and her Kwami were supporting a nefarious man, did not damage the Butterfly Miraculous or Kwami in such a fashion because her motivation was based on love, not hatred or greed. In other words, she was not evil.

The Order, in an attempt to stop the couple, gathered all the rest of the Miraculous and employed them with pure-hearted users. There was a great battle, and the Order was ultimately victorious, but the Temple was destroyed in the process, and I alone escaped the battle with the Miracle Box containing the remaining Miraculous, and the Grimoire. However, I lost the precious book during my escape. I returned to the rubble of the Temple after it burned down, but the book was nowhere to be found, nor the two misused Miraculous. No more such evil was seen again after that, so it was assumed that the Zhangs both died in the battle, their Miraculous forever lost.

Fast forward to modern times, and I discovered that the long-missing Butterfly Miraculous was once again being misused as it had been a century ago, and as we discovered recently, even the damaged Peacock is also currently nearby, being used when necessary to protect Hawkmoth, just as it had been all those years ago. It seems that someone besides myself knows this story, and has somehow been able to locate all that which I have been unable to find myself-those two Miraculous and the book. But I do not know how the Grimoire fell into Mr. Agreste's hands; he may not be the one who found it. He may have recieved it from someone else. Furthermore, his possesion of the book does not necessarily mean he has the missing Miraculous. Until we know for sure one way or another, Adrien, try not to worry yourself over it. He may simply be nothing more than a _collector_, so to speak."

Adrien smiles weakly. Marinette squeezes his hand. The couple thank Fu for his cooperation, and head toward the movie theater, where Adrien was due to be picked up soon.

"I have an idea, Marinette, but...I'll need your help."

"Of course. What is it?"

"Well, you babysit for Najda Chamack, right?"

"Yes, why?"

"I need you to talk her into trying to get my dad into the studio for an interview. I know that won't be easy; Father's only come out into public that one time so far since my mom disappeared. But if he was willing to do it once, maybe he'll be willing to do it again. See if you can get Mrs. Chamack to talk him into it, ok?"

"Well, I don't know if I can, or if SHE can, but I'll try, as I'm sure she will if she thinks she's really got a chance to do that. He's a world-famous fashion designer, after all, and this would be the first live interview in what, a decade? If it's at all possible, the two of us will certainly make it happen!"

"Thanks, Marinette. Oh, there's my bodyguard. I gotta go. Sorry."

"Adrien...I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of this one way or another. And I'll bet your father has nothing to do with Hawkmoth. It's probably something else altogether."

Adrien smiles feebly at Marinette. "Thanks, Marinette. I would kiss you but there are too many people watching. I don't want to embarrass you."

"Embarrass me? Never!" Marinette smiles, then closes her eyes and puckers up. Adrien returns her smile for a moment before closing his _own _eyes and leaning in to press his lips to hers.

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"Mrs. Chamack, I know this is going to sound strange, but...I have a big request to make of you. If you do it, and it's successful, it will be a HUGE advancement to your career!"

"Oh? And what might that be, Marinette?"

"I want you to try to convince Gabriel Agreste to grant you an interview, live from the studio. He did recently make a public appearance for the first time in ten years; he might just be willing to do so again, with the proper coaxing. I mean, a live interview would be a great promotional boost for his son's modeling career as well as his own business, and it would skyrocket _your _ratings!"

"Well, you're right about that, it would be a big boost for me, but what makes you think he would be willing to go that far? And what's _your _interest in this, why do _you _want me to do this?"

"Well, let's just say I have a vested interest in Adrien Agreste's career. But to get that interview, you might have to make a concession or two. There are some topics you will have no choice but to avoid if you're going to get his cooperation."

"Right. He's a very private man, no personal questions. Especially not about his wife. I think I can live with that. But is there some reason you think Mr. Agreste will be more willing to do this now than before?"

"Just the fact that he's made a public appearance already. He may be ready now to rejoin the world, so to speak."

"Well, I guess it couldn't hurt to try. Though I still fail to see how this affects _you, _Marinette..."

"Well, his son is sorta my boyfriend. I kinda have _his _career in mind, not his father's."

"Oh, I see. Well, I guess I'll give it a shot! Thanks for the tip. I'll let you know if it works out."

"Great! Thank you very much, Mrs. Chamack!"

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Later that day, Mrs. Chamack calls Marinette. "I did invite Mr. Agreste in for an interview, but he declined. I told him it would be a big boost for his career as well my own, and would surely help his son's as well, but he just couldn't be swayed. I'm sorry, Marinette. But it was a terrific idea."

"Oh. Well thank you for trying. But don't give up just yet! I've gotten to know Mr. Agreste lately, since I'm dating his son, perhaps I could give him a little nudge!"

"Well, I don't see how, but if you can pull it off, I'll certainly be grateful! Good luck, Marinette!"

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Marinette rings the buzzer at the gate of the Agreste mansion. The creepy eye-ball camera jolts forth as Natalie's voice comes over the loudspeaker.

"Mrs. DuPain-Cheng. How may I help you?"

"W-well, actually, I was wondering if I could speak with Mr. Agreste? Only for a minute; I won't take much of his time."

"I'm sorry, Marinette, but Mr. Agreste is terribly busy. Please come back another time."

"B-but...it's really important, Natalie. It has to do with Adrien, too. Please? Will you at least _ask _him to talk with me for a moment?"

"I really cannot disturb him at this time, I'm sorry."

"Wait! Please, Natalie? It's important to me. And it's for the benefit of Mr. Agreste _and _Adrien. Will you at least _ask _Mr. Agreste if he'd be willing to grant me a few measley minutes of his time? I mean what's the worst that could happen? He can say no and I'll leave. Won't you at least give me that much?"

Natalie sighs. "Very well. Wait there. I will ask."

A moment later, the gate opens up. Marinette is a bit surprised, but delighted. Now is her chance!

"So what is this issue of importance regarding my son you had to disturb my work for, Mrs. DuPain-Cheng?" asks an irritable Gabriel Agreste.

"W-well, sir, it's about the interview Nadja Chamack asked you for. I'm here to respectfully request that you grant her the interview!"

"As I told Mrs. Chamack, I am more than happy to grant her an interview-from my home, via wi-fi. I'm simply too busy to go downtown."

"But sir...your first interview _live from the studio _would be a _huge _boost to your fashion business, and to your son's modeling career! Adrien is successful in his own right, but this interview could cause him to go _global! _Don't you want the _best _for your son? Wouldn't you like to see the limits he can take his career to? Wouldn't it be _worth _thirty minutes of your time for that?" Marinette's face is a visage of hopefulness, and her attitude so seemingly pure, wanting to benefit her boyfriend's career as well as his father's. He finds it hard to turn her down.

"I understand your interest in this, Marinette, considering your relationship with my son. But I really am a very busy man, and I do all my work-including interviews-from here."

"Sir, with all due respect, Adrien already knows about the interview offer. He's...he's really hopeful that you will do it. He's really looking forward to it. He will be disappointed if you refuse. Please reconsider? For Adrien? It's only half an hour...surely you can schedule that time in _somewhere_. It would mean an awful lot to Adrien and me. Please, Mr.-er, uh-Gabriel?"

Again with the innocent puppy-dog eyes. Mr. Agreste grumbles. "Alright, I will consider it. But I guarantee nothing!"

Marinette is all smiles. "Oh, thank you, Mr. A-Gabriel. Thank you so much! Adrien and I are both very much looking forward to this, I do hope you can see your way clear to do this for us. Er, uh, him. Thank you for your time!"

Gabriel nods in reply, and Marinette leaves, fairly certain she has succeeding in swaying the stubborn man.

The next morning, Marinette gets a call from Mrs. Chamack. "I gotta give you credit, Marinette! I don't know what you said to Gabriel Agreste but he's going to grant me that interview! This is wonderful! You have my thanks!"

"No, thank _you _for doing the interview, Mrs. Chamack!"

Marinette gets the details on the day and time of the interview, telling Nadja that she and Adrien won't want to miss it, and they say their good-byes.

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Thus, on that day, at that time, Marinette and Adrien ditch school to sneak into Adrien's house to avoid being seen by the bodyguard (Natalie, of course, is at Mr. Agreste's side). Marinette watches as Adrien tries to hack the security system in his house using the computer in his bedroom.

"Don't take too long, Adrien, the interview's going to be short!" 

"I know that, but I don't know my dad's access codes! This is going to take a few minutes, I can't help that!"

"I'm sorry," Marienette adds softly. "I didn't mean to put pressure on you. I know this is hard enough on you to start with."

"Thank you, Marinette. But hopefully the answers we find today are _good _ones."

Marinette smiles reassuringly at the boy and nods in agreement.

"Aha! I'm in. Now I just have to pull up the files for yesterday, and find the right time and which camera. That shouldn't take long."

"Wow, you're good, Adrien!"

"Well, when you're locked up in your room all the time, you get pretty bored. I've learned all kinds of things in here. Ah, got the files for yesterday...all these have the right time range...and here's the right camera!" He turns to face Marinette, standing beside him. "I'm nervous," he says.

"I know," Marinette says sympathetically. "But you want to know the truth, and this is your chance. I'm right here beside you." She smiles down at him.

Adrien smiles back. He takes a deep breath and clicks the file. "Here we go!" he says nervously.

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The pair watch eagerly as the time-frame begins. There is a conversation of little consequence between Mr. Agreste and Natalie. But then they see it. Mr. Agreste pushes a particular pattern on the painting, and the floor opens up beneath him. He disappears from sight.

"I knew it." Adrien says quietly, his voice filled with sadness and anger.

"Um...that just means he has a secret place in here, Adrien, it doesn't necessarily mean it's anything bad."

"Thanks, Marinette. I hope you're right. But this does prove he's hiding something from me. And I'm going to find out what it is. I'm going to watch this again, and figure out what buttons to push in on that painting. I'm going to see with my own eyes what he's hiding under that floor."

"I'll be right beside you the whole way, Adrien, no matter what we find down there."

Adrien shakes his head to get the negative out. He smiles positively at Marinette. "Well then let's do this! Let's get to my father's study. But lookout for my bodyguard."

"Will do! Let's go."

The pair skulk through the house, and enter the study undetected.

"Adrien, wait..." whispers Marinette outside the door. "Won't your dad watch this video and SEE us sneaking into his private hideaway?"

"He only watches the video if something happens, like when his book turned up missing. It's ok, don't worry about that."

"Ok. Then let's go!"

The couple tiptoe into the room. Adrien goes to the painting, and with shaky hands and a glance at Marienette, pushes in the buttons on the paintings he saw his dad push on the security footage. The floor opens up as it did in the video, revealing a platform underneath to stand on.

"It's only big enough for one person. I'll go in first, Marinette, you follow me down. OK?"

"Of course, Adrien. I'll be right behind you."

Adrien descends the chamber. He ends up in wide, empty, round room made of metal with a stange-looking circular window on the far side of the room..and the place is absolutely _brimming _with butterflies.

_He IS in league with Hawkmoth! I knew it! Damn it, I knew it!_

A moment later, Marinette enters the room, a painful look on her face. "I'm so sorry, Adrien," she offers.

"I have to talk to him, Marinette. I have to know what exactly he's doing with Hawkmoth, and why! And I've got to do it by myself, so please go back home now, if you wouldn't mind. I'm alright, really."

"I understand that you need answers, Adrien, really, I do. But...confronting him alone...that might be dangerous. I mean he's working with a villian!"

"Marinette, I HAVE to! I've GOT to know, and I've got to hear it by myself! Besides, he wouldn't hurt _me, _his own son. He may be working with a pretty bad guy for some reason, but he isn't evil."

"Adrien, I hate to say this, but...what if your dad isn't the person you thought he was at all? I'm worried about your safety! Please let me go with you to talk to him..."

"I appreciate your concern, but this is something I MUST do on my own. It's kind of a guy thing. Please do as I ask and leave me alone with him. I will contact you the minute it's over, I promise."

"I'm not exactly convinced, but...you're pretty dead set on this, aren't you?" She sighs, defeated. "Well then at least keep your phone handy. I'm going to be spending all my free time near your house in case you need me!"

"Alright, will do. Thanks for coming with me today."

Marinette smiles at him, worry on her face.

Adrien kisses the girl good-bye, and she reluctantly leaves.

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Adrien looks around, searching for hidden panels in the walls and such. The room appears empty save for the butterflies; he can't figure out its purpose. But then he hears the platform coming down again. There is no place to really hide in here, but he doesn't want to give himself away immediately; he hopes to discover what exactly his father _does _in this room. So he backs up against the wall opposite the weird window, hoping to remain unseen in the shadows, as the room is barely lit.

Gabriel enters his hideout. He walks to the center of the room, never looking behind him. He takes off his tie and puts it in his pocket. Then, still not realizing that he is not alone, he speaks words that cause fear to rise in his son: "NooRoo...dark wings rise!"

Adrien just about _faints _from shock! He watches in horror as he sees his own father transform into his sworn enemy!

_H-he's...he's not working with Hawkmoth, he IS Hawkmoth! No, it can't be!_

The shutter on the window opens up. One of the butterflies lands on Gabriel's upturned hand. "Ah, a runner who can't keep up and gets left out...a dream shattered...wonderfully suitable negative emotions for my purposes." He places his free hand over the butterfly in the other. "Fly, my little akuma, and evilize him!" At this command, a now-black butterfly flies from the man's now-open hand and out the opening in the center of the window.

Adrien is so taken aback, he can't bring himself to speak or move. He just stands there, watching the back of a father he didn't know.

"Timecreeper, my name is Hawkmoth. You couldn't keep up with your teammates, but now, you will be the fastest man on earth because everyone else will be slower than you ever were! I give you the power to make others move in slow motion with a click of your stopwatch! All I want for this gift is Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous!"

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Marinette can't help but worry about Adrien. In fact, she can't keep him out of her head, and hangs around near Adrien's house, ready to bust in any minute. But then she gets a call from Alya. There's been another akumatization.

_Guess I have no choice but to do this one on my own, _she thinks to herself. Then she reluctantly leaves the Agreste mansion premises to head toward the University track field.

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Michel pushes the button on his stopwatch for the umpteenth time. Once again, he made the worst time of all the runners on the team. He _desperately _wants to go to meets with his companions and win trophies for his school with his love for running, but unfortunately, he simply isn't fast enough.

"I'm really sorry, Michel," says the coach. "Your time is just too bad. You're the slowest member of the team, always coming in dead last by a wide margin. I'm afraid I just can't keep you on anymore. If we want to win competitions, we have to replace you. I am truly sorry."

"But sir! I've been practicing so hard, I've improved my time! Please, you can't do this to me! I _need _this!"

"This decision was made by the whole team. There is nothing I can do. I am sorry."

"No...please..."

Sadness, frustration, and anger rise in the disappointed would-be sprinter. He hangs his head in despair. Perfect bait for an akuma-and one with his name on it flies into his stopwatch, transforming it-and the man who owns it.

"Timecreeper, my name is Hawkmoth. You couldn't keep up with your teammates, but now, you will be the fastest man on earth because everyone else will be slower than you ever were! I give you the power to make others move in slow motion with a click of your stopwatch! All I want for this gift is Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous!"

"Yes, Hawkmoth!"

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Ladybug arrives at the stadium, perching upon the box-seats to get a good look at her target. She watches a moment and figures out that the akuma victim is using his stopwatch to ensnare his cohorts into a type of time-warp; causing them to move in slow motion. She gets closer, careful to stay behind the stadium seats and out of reach of the stopwatch, which she observes working by being clicked in front of its victims. Whenever the new villian taps the button on his stopwatch, the person before him slows their movements to a crawl. He already has half of the track team and several onlookers ensnared in his slow-mo ballet.

"It's obviously the stopwatch, but how do I get to it without being caught in the same trap as everyone else?" she says to herself. "I can't even get close to him!" She ponders for a moment, wishing Cat Noir were with her, for more than one reason.

_Well, maybe not from the front. But near as I can tell, the stopwatch only works if he clicks the stopwatch at the person's face. I don't think it works behind him. Maybe I can sneak up, ensnare him in my yoyo string, and drag him to me, then destroy the watch._

Ladybug gets closer and throws her yoyo at the akuma victim. The cord wraps around him, but he spins around to face her, and clicks the button on his stopwatch-he's still able to use it with his arms at his sides. The superhero dodges behind a chair. The first plan having failed, and not seeing any other options at this point, Ladybug retracts her yoyo string to get some help from her special power, and the akumatized runner turns back toward the teammates he has yet to capture in his time warp.

"No, you fool!" says Hawkmoth to his victim. "Get Ladybug first! I want her Miraculous!"

"There's plenty of time for that! I'm going to be the fastest person on the WHOLE TEAM first!"

"Lucky Charm!" Marinette cries from behind a stadium seat. Down falls another stopwatch! She looks around, but her Ladybug vision only shows her the stopwatch in her hand. Staring at it, wondering what she's supposed to use it for, she notices it doesn't seem to work. "Is that a clue?" she asks herself. But then, she sees it tick once. It IS working; just very slowly. As if it had been "shot at" by Timecreeper too. That's when she figures it out.

She stands up and begins to approach the athlete, _pretending _to run in slow motion! Slowly and quietly, she manages to creep up behind the runner, who notices her but assumes his last shot actually hit the mark and that he has plenty of time to get away from the slow-mo beetle. But then Marinette catches him by surprise by suddenly lunging forward wtih great speed! She knocks the stopwatch out of the runner's hand and stomps it, releasing its akuma.

"No more evildoing for you, little akuma!" Ladybug says as she swings her yoyo. "Time to de-evilize!" She captures the insect with a "gotcha!" Then, away flies a white-winged bug, high into the clear blue sky. "Bye-bye, little butterfly!" Finally, she throws her stopwatch into the sky. "Miraculous Ladybug!" The akuma victim, all the runners on the track team, and the passersby who were watching, are all returned to normal.

"Noooo! Not again!" complains the true villian behind the whole thing. He growls. "You may have gotten the better of me _this _time, Ladybug...but soon your time will be up! I _will _have your Miraculous! And Cat Noir's too!"

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Hawkmoth grumbles at another failure as the shutter of the window recloses. He turns around brusquely to exit the room-only to meet a very familiar pair of green eyes.

"A-Adrien!" His face falls, his eyes desperate. "No...no..."

"The enemy I've been fighting...all this time...is _you." _His voice is dark, disappointment and anger soaked into every word. He clenches his fists.

The elder Agreste doesn't know what his son means by "enemy I've been fighting all this time," but he knows how upsetting this must be for his son.

"Adrien, please. It's not what you think! You don't understand!"

"You're damn right I don't understand! But I know what I have to do now..." With misery on his face, Adrien holds up the fist with the ring on it. "Plagg...claws out!"

Gabriel is shocked. He had once suspected his son might be the cat-themed hero, but he had seen him and Cat Noir side-by-side. He now realizes that had been a rouse.

"So you ARE Cat Noir, after all! My initial suspicions were right!"

"Yes, I AM Cat Noir, but don't you think you're getting my Miraculous now! Get ready to defend yourself!"

"Wait, son, please! Let me explain!"

"How can you possibly explain _this!_" He raises his arm, stick in hand.

"I don't want to fight you, son. Please hear me out!"

"I don't want to fight you either! But I have no choice!" With that, he swings at his his father. Mr. Agreste defends with his staff. Adrien continues to swing, yelling all the while, as his father counters the blows-never trying to hit back.

Adrien continues to shout. "You _betrayed _me! You betrayed the people of Paris! You betrayed my mother!"

Gabriel skimmers backward to put space between him and his son. "No, Adrien! I'm doing this _for _your mother! Son, please, I'm begging you, just listen for a minute! I understand that you're upset. But if you'll let me, I can explain everything to you, and it will all make sense, I promise! I can SHOW you what I mean! Please, just give me a chance. I am still your father!"

Adrien is hurt and angry, but he _wants _to believe his father; that there is some reasonable explanation for his father's villainy. Mr. Agreste said it was _for _his mother; he was curious to know how she fit into all of this. Thus, albeit a bit reluctantly, he lowers his arm, and gives his father the chance he asked for. "Alright. You have five minutes to explain this to me."

"Dark wings, fall."

"Claws in."

"Come with me, son." Gabriel holds out his hand to Adrien, only to have it slapped away. Gabriel looks down in disappointment.

"Just show me whatever it is already."

"Obviously you found _this _secret room. But there is another." He then presses his hand against the wall Adrien had been resting against. Much to Adrien's surprise, a door opens up.

"But...I felt up and down all of these walls, and I couldn't find a door or a hidden lever anywhere!"

"There is a fingerprint scanner behind this wall. It will only open up for _me. _Follow me."

The pair walk in silence down a long, dark corridor. Finally, they come out into a large cathedral-like building with heavy metal architecture up top and garden-like grassy areas down below. There is light shining in from the ceiling, highlighting something like an incubation chamber, only larger. There appears to be someone inside it.

Adrien's mouth falls open when he gets close enough to see who it is. It's Emilie Agreste-his mother.

Adrien looks at his father with incredulity and curiosity. "Wha...how? Why? Is she...is she..."

"Dead?" answers his father. "Not exactly. But she isn't alive, either. She's rather in-between, like a coma patient. Only this is no brain injury. You see, Adrien, my Miraculous isn't the only one I have. Your mother used one, too-the Peacock. But it was damaged. It stole life energy from the user to sustain itself. I _tried _to convince your mother to stop using it, but she was stubborn. She refused to stop helping her fellow man, even if it hurt her in the process. Eventually, she was left drained to the point of what the rest of the world would call death. But I...I knew better. I knew of a CURE! So I encapsulated her here to preserve her body until such time as I could manage to get hold of it. After all, I promised your mother I would do _everything _in my power to restore her health! I wasn't _about_ to break that promise."

Adrien thinks he has it figured out. This is what Hawkmoth was after the Miraculous for-the _wish _he had mentioned before. His head is spinning; he doesn't know what to think-or what to say to his father.

Mr. Agreste continues. "The wish I mentioned before...with the Miraculous of Cat Noir and Ladybug, I can bring Emilie back to us, Adrien! That's why I became Hawkmoth and started chasing you and her. I never intended to harm anyone, I simply _need _those magic jewels to save your mother's life! And now you, her own son, has one of those jewels! And I'll bet _you _can get Ladybug's! The two of us together can bring Emilie back to us!"

"I...I don't know...I don't know what to think about all this. It's all happening so fast. I...I need some time to think."

"Of course, son. I know what a shock all this must be for you. I never intended for you to find out this way. I had hoped, actually, that I would be able to cure Emilie without your knowlege of _any _of this. I wanted to _spare _you this pain and confusion. I thought I was careful, but apparently I wasn't careful _enough. _I'm sorry, Adrien."

"Just...just take me back now. I need to go out for a while. I've got a lot to think about."

"Of course. Take all the time you need."

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Adrien walks downtown, heavy thoughts spinning through his head, as the sun begins to set. He knows his father won't be out looking for him _this _night! But he also knows that there's a pretty girl out there worrying about him right now. His phone has been vibrating, but he did not know what to tell the girl. He sent her a brief text telling her he was ok and that he would talk to her later, but he realizes that is inadequate. He needs to figure things out quickly, and get back to her.

He goes to his and Ladybug's favorite rooftop and battles within himself .

_Is it really so evil to want to revive your lost loved one? I know he akumatized people, but nobody really got hurt, and he only ever wanted to bring my mother back home. Is that so bad? But Ladybug says that there would be a price to pay for any wish Hawkmoth would make. But...would it necessarily be a big one? I mean, maybe it's a price worth paying to save a life! And...wouldn't Marinette _voluntarily _let us borrow her Miraculous for such a noble cause? But if that is the case...why would I even _hesitate _to ask her? Somehow, I can just FEEL that its _wrong, no matter the price! _But...I can't deny that I _want _my mother back...more than ever since I saw her today and learned there was a possibility...but I can't shake this unsettling feeling! Should I just go to Marinette and tell her what happened today and see what she thinks? I mean, maybe she'll offer and I won't even _have _to ask! Maybe she'll say it's ok...But I'm worried she won't._

The troubled teen struggles for answers until nightfall. Finally, he decides that in the end, he and Ladybug are a TEAM, and he and Marinette are a COUPLE, and that she a _right _to know what he discovered today. To keep it from her was simply wrong. So he decides to talk to her about it, no matter what she advises in the end.

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He lands gently and quietly on her balcony as Cat Noir. It's late now, but the light is still on in her room. He taps on her window. It's furiously yanked open in a flash! Marinette grabs the cat-costumed boy and squeezes him so hard he thinks his head will pop off!

"Where have you BEEN? I've been worried sick!" With that, she releases him.

"I'm sorry. I just...had a lot to think about." Adrien's face is so sad and his voice so quiet, Marinette feels bad for jumping on his back like that. She knows it was hard for him to learn that his own father was in league with their enemy, and she knows he had confronted the man about it, which had to be even worse. But now that she knows he is safe, she wants the details about that very thing.

Adrien reverts for comfort, and then updates his girlfriend with the wacky but true tale of his Day With Dad. It's not much of a stretch for her to learn that the man IS Hawkmoth, not just working for him-meaning that he even akumatized _himself _once-but the rest of the story is a shock. Marinette feels deep sorrow for the boy, being put in such a terrible position. But she knows what she has to say.

With sympathetic eyes and a gentle tone, Marinette speaks, her hand on her boyfriend's shoulder. "Adrien...um...I know this will be hard for you to hear, but I have to tell you. Yes, it is true that any wish can be granted with our two Miraculous put together. But Master Fu says that there must be balance in the universe, meaning that if a wish is granted giving life back to someone who has lost it, someone else must die. To bring your mom back would be to kill some innocent poor soul. It isn't right, and even though I didn't know her, something tells me your mother wouldn't _want _that. From what you told me, she was just like us-being a superhero to help other people no matter how much danger it put _her _in. I don't think she would approve of taking another life to save her own."

Adrien's head sags low and he sighs. "Somehow I _knew _you were going to say something like that. I knew in my heart it was wrong, somehow, no matter how much I wanted it to be ok. But...what do I say to my dad?"

"Your father loves you very much, and your opinion matters to him. He respects you. Just tell him that your heart tells you it's _wrong, _and tell him what the price of the wish is. Tell him your mother wouldn't _want _a trade-off like that. If you and your mom would disapprove, and he knows it will cost an innocent life to do it, he's sure to change his mind. I'll go with you, if you think it will help...

Adrien sighs. "I'm just not sure yet. I told my dad I needed some time to think, and I still do. I'll figure it soon, though, ok?"

"Alright, Adrien. I understand. I know there's a lot of pressure on you. This has to be so very hard for you. I'm truly, truly sorry. For ALL of this."

"It's ok, Marinette. An ugly truth is always better than a pretty lie. Or a vague ambiguity. For sure." He smiles weakly at the girl, who mirrors his expression. They share a lengthy embrace and a warm kiss before separating for the night.

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Adrien finally shuffles into the front door at dawn. With a droopy-eyed yawn, he heads to his bedroom. He comes face to face with his father, wearing a terribly worried expression, along the way. He stops for a moment, only to say flatly, "I'm going to bed for a little while. We'll talk after that." His father nods.

When he arises, Adrien walks into his father's study without even knocking. "We need to talk-in private," he says simply. His father nods, calls Natalie and tells her to hold all calls and not to disturb them, then steps away from his computer. They each and take a seat in a chair at the other end of the room.

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Somberly, Adrien begins. "Father, I know this isn't what you want to hear, but... it's _wrong _to bring back Mom, I know it. I feel it. And I think you do, too, you just won't admit it to yourself."

Gabriel angers at this. "What?! " His eyes are wide with surprise. "How could you say such a thing?!"

"Father, Ladybug was right when she told you that there would be a price to pay for any wish you would make. The universe must stay in balance. That means that if you wish Mom back, someone else will die in her place. Mom would never approve of that. Besides, the other life to be taken in her place could end up being you, or even me; there is no way to know. And I just can't approve of this either, no matter how much I want Mom back. It's time to let her go, Father. I know you've lived up to your promise to the best of your ability, but this just isn't an option. She will understand. After all, she knew the risks when she used her Miraculous, but chose to do it anyway. It's not up to us to go against her decision like this, at the expense of an innocent person's life. Let her go, Father, and move forward with your life! You still have one, after all. You still have me!"

Mr. Agreste is visibly upset. His face is contorted in anger.

"I don't understand this, Adrien! I thought that surely, after seeing your mother and realizing there was a chance to save her, that you would see things my way! You talk as though you don't _want _her back!"

"That's not fair, Father! Of course I want my mother back! But not at the expense of someone _else's _life! Mom wouldn't want it either! Father, _you're _the one who isn't thinking clearly here. You are being blinded to the right thing by your love for Mom. I understand that, but that doesn't make it any less wrong to try to wish her back!"

"That's enough! You will NOT speak to me in such a manner! And just what makes you so sure Ladybug is right, anyway? How do you KNOW someone else will die if we bring Emilie back? *I* certainly don't know that that is true!"

"The information came from the Guardian himself! _He_ would definitely know! It IS true, Father, whether you want to believe it or not! And before you ask, I will not tell you where he is, no matter what!"

"The Guardian...I see. So you know him, but refuse to tell me where he is. So that's how it is. Go to your room until I say otherwise! I've got somewhere to go."

Adrien obeys, unhappy. Not only is he having to give up on the hope of ever seeing his mother again, he's now at odds with his father. He wonders if the man will try to take his Miraculous himself, or continue to change into Hawkmoth to go after Ladybug's. But for now, there is nothing he can do. He simply hopes that his words to his father will sink in and ultimately change his mind.

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"My dearest Emilie. I am closer now than I ever have been to being able to bring you back. But our son disapproves; he says it would mean the death of someone else. He says you would disapprove, too. I don't want to believe it. I've spent all these years trying to heal you. I'm closer than ever to being able to do just that, but...now I am having doubts. Emilie, tell me...is it true? Would bringing you back take another's life? Would you disapprove of being brought back that way if it did?"

He sinks to his knees before his wife's unmoving body, his head hung low. "It _is, _isn't it, Emilie? The Guardian himself said it. And you truly _wouldn't _sacrifice another for your own sake. If I think about it, I know it's all true. Adrien is right. I simply have no choice, now, do I? I cannot bring you back. I have to give up. I never wanted that. I always believed not only that I _could _bring you back, but that I _should, _no matter the cost. But _you _would care about the cost, wouldn't you, my love? I'm sorry, Emilie. I failed you. I will always love you, my dearest wife, but I guess the time has finally come for me to let you go. I did the best I could. I hope you know that, wherever you are now. I'm sorry I couldn't find any other way to keep my promise. Goodbye, my love. I will see you again in the afterlife."

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Gabriel knocks on his son's door. Adrien opens it, eyes full of both hope and apprehension.

"Sit down, son." Adrien obeys, taking a seat on his bed. His father surprises him by sitting beside him. The man's face is much softer now, and sadder. The anger appears to be gone.

"Here," Mr. Agreste says to his son. Then he hands Adrien a hand-sized gray box. "Open it."

Adrien accepts the box, and without a word, opens it. Inside is a jewel with four silver wings on it. Adrien's head shoots up to make eye contact with his father, surprise on his face. "I-is this what I think it is?"

"Yes, son, that is my-er, uh, _the_-Butterfly Miraculous. You were right, Adrien. It's time to give up. You can take this Miraculous-as well as the damaged Peacock Miraculous-to the Guardian. I needn't know who or where he is. I have no need for that information now."

"Oh, Father!" Adrien's face is full of happiness at his father's decision to do the right thing, and sorrow for what the man was giving up. He has sorrow for himself as well, having gained and lost a dream of getting his mother back within a short twenty-four hour period.

"But Father, may I ask how you acquired these Miraculous in the first place? As well as that book I borrowed from your safe?"

"Hm. Well...before she became an actress, your mother was an archeologist specializing in mythology. She had heard of these legendary items being in a temple in a remote area of China. We went there, and your mother found the ruins. Nothing was discovered there, but Emilie tracked down other rumors about the couple who possessed the Butterfly and Peacock Miraculous last. In a hidden vault inside another ruin, she found the book and the Peacock. I went back later, after she was gone, and found the Butterfly hidden in yet another ruin we hadn't had time to investigate during our first trip."

"Oh, I see. Thank you for telling me. I was pretty curious."

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Adrien informs Ladybug of the decision his father has made, and takes both Miraculous to Master Fu. There, the old man performs a healing ritual on the Peacock's Kwami, cleansing it of the evil that had corrupted it, and repairing the damage to the Miraculous as well. It can now be used for good again, without stealing life energy from the wearer. But there is no way to undo the damage done to Emilie Agreste (or Natalie).

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In the months that follow, the elder and younger Agrestes mourn their loss together, after properly burying Emilie in the church-like building that housed her preserved body for so long. But the two start spening much more time together, just like Adrien had always wanted.

Natalie is very happy about this, though she is much saddened for them, knowing what they had lost, and sad for herself for losing someone who had been a good friend to her when she was alive. Yet she cannot help the happy hope that arises in her at the thought of it all finally being over, and everyone being able to, at long last, move forward in their lives, herself included-particularly with Gabriel. Her health is still somewhat fragile from having used the Peacock Miraculous, but it is manageable. And now, she feels she actually has a real _chance _to win over the heart of the object of her affection. She does feel guilty for wishing to "prosper" in such a way from the tragedy, but she cannot help herself. But she knows that Emilie would give her her blessing. Emilie was selfless, and she loved Gabriel and Natalie both enough to wish for neither to be alone in her absence. This somewhat soothes Natalie's conscience. Thus, she begins to join in frequently for lunches and dinners with the two men in her life, and sometimes with Marinette as well. All four of them are now certain that the future is brighter with the healing taking place.

The End


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry, I was unhappy with my first draft of this part, so I took it down and rewrote it. I like it better now. Also, I'm sorry the "epilogue" is so short, and that there was no mention of Gabriel and Natalie within the story. I wanted to explore that relationship more, but this part was too A&M-oriented to give me an opening for it. Hope it's ok as is. Hope you all enjoy this!

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It's Marinette's sixteenth birthday party, and the gang is all here with her at the skating rink. Marinette had invited everyone she knew, including the one other boy who ever made her heart beat twice in one breath, and the other _girl_ that almost made her believe in love lost before it begins-Luca and Kagami, respectively. But of course, to her, there is only one person here she couldn't celebrate without. And he had managed to obtain much more free time and freedom since she had wormed her way into his father's heart in the way only Marinette could-and since Gabriel had given up on his dream, and renounced Hawkmoth. She is very grateful for all of that today.

Happy couples, friends and romantic pairs alike, skate together with Adrien and Marinette, though a few skate alone. All wear smiles, and seem quite happy to be celebrating with the two today. But eventually, nature calls, and Marinette asks Adrien to excuse her for a minute; then she disappears into the ladie's washroom. A cunning set of large, chestnut eyes takes notice...then sweeps in for the kill the instant the aformentioned girl's back disappears behind the bathroom door.

Kagami skates to the edge of the rink at the entrance/exit, nearest the restroom where Adrien is awaiting his beloved. "Hey, there, Adrien," she says as friendly as possible, "would you like to skate with me for a moment while Marinette's busy? I'd really like to show you a couple of really good skating moves you could try with her."

"Oh, why thank you, Kagami, that's very sweet of you. But I think we're having enough fun as is. No need to worry about us."

Kagami tilts her head down. "W-well," she says with mock insecurity, "there's...there's kind of another reason I wanted to. I don't really know anybody else here very well, and I'd really rather not skate alone the whole day. C-could you just take a couple of laps with me? I mean, just until your girlfriend comes back."

"Well...um...I guess that would be ok. I mean I'm sure Marinette would be ok with that, just a couple of rounds. Alright, let's go then!"

Kagami takes Adrien's hand and speeds off with him, giving an evil glance and twisted smile toward the door Marinette had disappeared into that Adrien fails to notice for looking directly ahead. He's a little uncomfortable with this; he had expected to be side-by-side, but not holding hands. Yet he didn't want to seem rude or hurt her feelings by jerking away, so he just bears with it. It's only for a lap or two, after all.

Needless to say, Marinette soon emerges from the restroom just in time to see her boyfriend with KAGAMI, of all people, skating past her. Marinette's heart winces at the sight, but she tells herself not to overreact. She figures he is just getting a lesson from her or something. But then she sees Kagami fall down halfway around the rink when she knows full well the girl is an expert skater, and Adrien carefully helping her up and getting her "steady" again with both of his arms, obviously engaging in pleasant conversation with the girl, smiles on both their faces. They look a little too cozy! Marinette is not happy.

First, her boyfriend takes off with another girl the SECOND she's out of sight; second, he doesn't even NOTICE her when she gets back; third, he's holding hands with her; and last but certainly not least, it's KAGAMI! Marinette remembers all too well the last time they were here, watching Adrien skate hand-in-hand with her, and that little chat she had with the boy about her before they came. He had called her "special," and "very pretty," even going into detail about her "deep, mysterious eyes" and "dark, silky hair." Adrien is suddenly not the only one here today with green eyes!

Luca, ever-observant of Marinette, sees the whole thing go down. He doesn't know Kagami very well, but gets a pretty good idea of what she is after from watching what just happened-as well as from the memory of the last time he was here with both girls and Adrien. His heart goes out to Marinette, that sweet, pure-hearted, beautiful girl, now looking angry, hurt, and unhappy-on her sweet sixteenth! So he decides that if Adrien is going to abandon her for another chick at her own birthday party, that he would be a bigger man than that. He had never had reason before to dislike Adrien; he had seemed like such a nice guy. But he could not approve of his hurting Marinette like this. So to cheer the girl up, and keep her company on her birthday, he skates over to her at the entrance of the rink and holds his hand out to her, a warm smile on his face.

Marinette looks up at him in surprise, unsure what she should do. She doesn't feel it is right to skate with Luca when she has a boyfriend, but then quickly changes her mind on that, angrily thinking to herself that if he can do it, then why shouldn't she? Her true motivation to take the hand is no more than simple jealousy, but she does not give her intentions any rational thought and simply accepts the gesture. So she begins to skate around wtih Luca, passing Adrien and Kagami closely, but pretending not to notice them. Instead, she wears an artificially inflated smile, trying to seem as content with this situation as Adrien seems to be with his. That "happiness" does not escape the junior Agreste's notice, though. And he does NOT like it!

He too remembers the last time they were here. He had seen Marinette skating hand-in-hand with Luca, and performing close-body moves that she seemed quite happy doing with him. He had helped her up when she fell, put his hand on her shoulder, and paid her quite a lot of attention, and she had really seemed to enjoy it.

It bothers him so much, that he politely tells Kagami that that's enough for now, and skates back to the entrance to wait for Marinette to skate by there so he can reclaim the partner he came here to skate with in the first place. He tries to get Marinette's attention with a smile and a hand out, but once again, Marinette skates past him without a glance in his direction, a smile on her face, holding hands around the rink with Luca! His own naturally-green eyes become a shade darker.

Then Marinette has a little spill, and Luca lifts her up, their bodies close together. To Adrien it looks like a sheet of paper wouldn't fit between them! Then Luca innocently puts a hand on Marinette's shoulder as he gives her a pep talk about how it takes a lot of practice and she won't always fall down like this, but all Adrien sees is unnecessary touching, eye contact, and smiling oh-so-happily at each other!

He stares at them from a short distance, glaring cheerlessly after his woman seeming to be so thrilled to be celebrating with the only guy who's ever been anything close to a rival to him for her affections. But it seems that Marinette has finally had enough of skating with Luca because she skates back to the entrance where Adrien stands watching with piercing eyes.

"There you are, Adrien," Marinette says in false surprise, her tone tinged with anger despite her efforts to sound natural.

"What do you mean, 'there you are?'" I never left! I've been here the whole time, but you didn't notice me!" His Cat Noir is blending with his Adrien.

Feigning innocence, Marinette replies, "Oh, sorry! My bad!" She smiles at him, a little forced. "Well, we're both here now...want to skate some more?"

Adrien is still upset, but decides to swallow his jealousy for Marinette's sake. Marinette is equally jealous, but she too decides to ignore it. So the pair go back to skating together, holding hands as usual, but the air between them is thicker than it was before.

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Marinette can't shake the unsettling feeling in her gut, lying in bed that night. Jealousy is a persistent beast, after all. If it had been any other girl at the rink today...the whole thing would have been a non-issue. But it was KAGAMI. THAT stung, and she couldn't seem to get the stinger out of her heart.

At the same time, Adrien is having similar thoughts at _his _home. If it had been any other boy, he probably wouldn't feel this way. But it was LUCA! THAT'S why the whole thing bothers him so much. It's a spot that was already sore, and it got punctured earlier in the day. He's having a hard time letting it go.

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The next evening, Marinette gets a call from Adrien. His father is having a dinner party for several business associates, and is allowing his son to have a guest of his own. Naturally, he chooses Marinette. And naturally, she agrees to go.

Then she gets an unexpected call from Luca. He's feeling down and wants to chat. Marinette informs him that she has to get ready for a dinner party, but that he is welcome to come hang out until she has to leave. He accepts.

Marinette and Luca talk while Marinette gets ready for the party. But Marinette gets so wrapped up in conversation, that she forgets about the party. But not for long, because before she has a chance to be late, Adrien knocks on her bedroom floor-door. She invites the boy in with a smile, but Adrien can only frown when he sees Luca in Marinette's bedroom-he had thought that that was a priviledge bestowed only upon himself. Luca, of all people, again! He curtly informs Luca that Marinette has to go, and practically drags the girl down the stairs. Once outside, Marinette speaks.

"What is with you, Adrien?" Marinette asks. "Why are you in such a hurry, and why are you being so rude? This isn't like you."

"My father expects a lot, you know. We can't be late! That's all. Can we go now please? He's waiting."

"Yeah, sure. But...are you ok? I don't think I've ever seen you so ruffled before."

"I'm not ruffled! I just don't want to be late. That's all."

"Ok, if you say so." She drops the subject with that, and soon they arrive at the Agreste mansion.

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Marinette is introduced to each one of the guests in turn-but there is one there she already knows. Kagami Tsurugi. She's not happy that THAT girl is here, but she makes nice anyway, for Adrien's and Gabriel's sakes.

Once dinner is brought out, the guests are seated. Marinette sits next to Adrien, of course, on his right. But to his left-Kagami. Again. Marinette doesn't like it much, but she puts up with it. It's just an hour or two, after all.

After dinner, Gabriel suggests that Adrien play for their company, so they all head to the music room. But Kagami suggests a duet! The pair sit side by side at the piano, playing flawlessly, awing the important guests. Marinette thinks how Adrien seems to LIKE sitting with Kagami, and ENJOYS playing a duet with her. The green-eyed monster is back with a vengeance!

Finally, the party ends and the guests begin to leave. Marinette waits for Kagami to leave before she does, not wanting her to be alone with Adrien for one second. Then, she finally bids Adrien goodnight, but with a cold streak running through her words. Adrien asks her if there is something on her mind, to which she replies, "Not a thing!" It comes out bitter, but Adrien assumes she's just tired because it's been a long day. They part ways without their usual kiss good-bye.

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Marinette approaches Adrien's house on foot. She keeps envious thoughts out of her mind; Kagami won't be there today. She will have Adrien all to herself again. But her smile soon fades. There is Kagami AGAIN, standing outside in front of Adrien, an open car door behind her. Marinette just stands there watching, afraid to move forward and unable to avert her eyes. Then, as if through psychic power, Kagami happens to glance over and SEE Marinette watching. That's when it happens. Kagami turns her head back to Adrien-who never looked away to see Marinette-and plants a kiss directly onto his lips!

Then she hops into the waiting car and takes off. That's when Adrien looks over and sees Marinette. He can tell by the horrified look on her face that she just saw that. Panicking, he races toward her, shouting her name. "Marinette, wait! Please, it isn't what you think, I swear!"

But it's too late. Adrien outdoes Marinette in a lot of things, but Marinette is unmatched in raw speed.

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Tears stream down the girl's face. She wants to believe that was just Kagami forcing herself onto Adrien, but...what was she even DOING there in the first place? And why didn't Adrien push her away? From where she stood watching, it looked to her like Adrien enjoyed it! Add to that all the other things happening with Kagami lately, and a frightening picture emerges. Marinette is wracked with anguish. She feels her whole world crumbling in her hands. She wants to know the truth, but at the same time, she desperately fears it. If she is losing Adrien to Kagami, she'd rather BELIEVE a LIE than KNOW the TRUTH.

So she heads to a place where she knows it's ok to be sad-and where she can find solace and encouragement.

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Marinette dares not tell Luca exactly what happened. He guesses immediately how she's feeling, as he is wont to do, and plays a melancholy tune on his guitar for her. He is glad that she feels she can rely on him, even if she'd rather not say exactly what is on her mind. Though he's fairly sure it's Adrien again, given the circumstances of the day at the skating rink. He begins to wonder why she is with him, in light of how inconsiderate the boy seems to be of her feelings.

Luca plays for Marinette, and the two share pleasant conversation. Slowly, Marinette begins to recover from the shock and horror of the events prior to coming to the Couffaine houseboat. Luca is truly a good friend to Marinette, and is adept at consoling her. When he finally gets her to smile for the first time since she got there-a good two hours later-he wraps his arm around her shoulder and puts his head next to hers, and snaps a picture. Then, just for fun, he posts it onto social media. It does not occur to him that it could bring about negative consequences.

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Adrien is beside himself with worry. He needs to explain to Marinette that Kagami had come there to arrange a private fencing lesson of her own accord-he had not invited her-and that the kiss was just as much a shock to him as it was to Marinette. But he did not iniate it. He needs to assure Marinette that she remains the one and only love of his life. But she will not answer her phone, no matter how many times he calls or how many texts he sends. He goes by her house twice, and she is not home, nor do her parents know exactly where she is. All they can tell him is that she said she was going to see "a friend," and that they just assumed Alya. However, Alya hasn't seen her, either. He goes to all the places he knows Marinette likes to go, as herself and as Ladybug, and she is nowhere to be found. He also sends her a number of emails, none of which elicit a response. Finally, he checks out the social media sites all the kids use, looking for any trace of her. That's when he sees it. He now knows where she is. She's with Luca. Again. And she looks very happy and cuddly with him. Again. The knot in his stomach begins to churn, as his heart begins to ache.

Adrien is unsure what to think. Did Kagami's kiss push Marinette into Luca's arms? Does she truly have feelings for Luca after all? Does she even still love him or, worse, did she EVER? Thinking back over the last few days and all the "Luca incidents," things don't look so good to him. He fears for the future. Jealousy is a poisonous pill that's hard to find a cure for. He desperately needs to talk to Marinette to get the truth, for better or for worse, but he is so afraid of "for worse" that he cannot bring himself to do it. He stops trying to reach her after seeing that picture.

He loses sleep on a damp pillow that night.

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Marinette finally returns home just after dusk. She had found a temporary "band-aid" for her aching heart, but now that she's alone...

Thinking back on everything involving Adrien and Kagami lately, Marinette thinks her position as "girlfriend" looks very fragile, if not already nonexistent. Her stomach twists.

She turns her phone back on to see over a hundred missed calls from Adrien and a completely filled inbox of texts from him. She can't bring herself to read them. She deletes them unread. Then she gets on her computer and finds plentiful emails from the same sender that she also cannot bring herself to read, and deletes them as well. She stays away from social media altogether, for fear of what she might see-Adrien with Kagami.

Marinette is afloat on a sea of agony, and does not know what to do. How to get past this. She knows she should talk to Adrien, but she is so afraid, she just can't. She goes to bed, and cries into the little white rectangle beneath her head, unable to sleep.

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For the next three days, there is dead silence between the two. Marinette wonders why Adrien seemed to try so hard to get a hold of her at first, only to quit after a couple of hours and never try again. Adrien wonders why Marinette never tries to contact him at all. They each wonder if the other is just putting off saying something difficult to say: "it's over." The two of them couldn't be more miserable.

Their parents notice, too, and since the young couple spend most of their free time together normally, which they have a lot of now that it's summer and school is out, they figure out that it's a lover's quarrel of some sort, but neither Gabriel nor the DuPain-Cheng's know how bad the situation is. But they know enough to give their children some space, and not to pry. They simply let their children know they are there if needed.

Finally, late at night of the third day, Marinette can take no more. If it is truly over, she has to know for sure so she can begin to recover. The hope she has left that it's all a misunderstanding must be proven correct or smashed completely to break the stand-still and allow her to move forward. Thus, she sneaks out of her house and Ladybug's herself up to Adrien's bedroom window, reverting back once on the ledge. She taps quietly on the window.

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The sound is slight, but Adrien recognizes it immediately. He jumps out of bed, his heart in his throat. He's terrified and extremely hopeful at the same time. He yanks the window open and lets Marinette in.

"Can we talk?" Marinette asks, her voice almost a whisper, her eyes fearful.

"Of course," answers Adrien, his own eyes just as fearful. "I've...honestly been wanting to talk to you all this time, but..."

"Adrien," Marinette interrupts, averting his eyes. "Please hear me out. I have a few things to say."

"Of course, Marinette. Speak your mind."

Adrien is terrified of what Marinette might say, but he knows he has to listen, no matter what she utters. So he waits in silent patience.

"First, you run off hand-in-hand with Kagami at the skating rink the SECOND I'm out of sight and don't even notice me when I come back; then you and Kagami sit next to each other at the dinner party AND play a side-by-side duet on the paino together oh-so-happily; then Kagami KISSES you and you don't even push her away. What am I supposed to think about all of this, Adrien? I mean...it looks to me like you're falling for her, and forgetting about me!"

"Absolutely not!" Adrien whisper-yells, taking hold of Marinette's shoulders with his hands, making her face him. "You're right, I shouldn't have skated with Kagami like that, and maybe I should have turned her down for the duet, but I didn't ASK her to sit next to me, and I most certainly didn't ask her to KISS me! Please believe me, Marinette, I SWEAR you're the one and only girl I love!"

Marinette's eyes are teary now, her voice tinged with upset and anger. "Then...why didn't you push her away? Looked to me like you rather welcomed it! And what was she even doing here, at your HOUSE?"

Adrien drops his hands from Marinette's shoulders and averts his eyes. "I guess you didn't read any of my messages," he replies sadly, wondering why she didn't read any of them if she wanted these answers so much, and also still wondering why Marinette had been so silent while seeming so happy to be with Luca. He then returns his gaze to face her and continues. "I was in shock, Marinette! I did not expect Kagami to do that; I was just so stunned I didn't know what to do. I didn't have TIME to react appropriately. That's all, I swear! I did not 'welcome' it at all! In fact, I called her later and told her that if she didn't stop trying to interfere with you and me that I would never speak to her again. I mean I didn't really realize that that was what she was doing until she kissed me, but once I did, I put her in her place. Oh, and she was here because she wanted to arrange a private fencing lesson, which I immediately cancelled-the one we arranged and any future lessons she may have wanted-when I called her, and also added that if she ever needs to speak to me again, to call or text, but my house is off limits. I know what it looked like, Marinette, and I'm so, so sorry. But it really wasn't my fault that she kissed me. And I'm truly sorry for everything I've done wrong concerning her; I'm sorry that I didn't see what she was really trying to do until she kissed me. I did what I could about it. Please don't hold it against me anymore?"

Marinette studies Adrien's eyes. They are sincere, shining with love, but mixed with regret and fear. It makes her heart ache in a different way than it had been until now. She feels immense relief, and tears begin to spill out. However, she is still just a little uncertain. With a shaky voice, she replies. "Ok, I understand. You really did nothing wrong. But I have just one more question for you. You seemed anxious to reach me after it happened, but after a couple of hours you quit trying. I thought maybe it was because you had decided to leave me for Kagami by then, and were trying to find the right way to tell me, so you went quiet until you could. Why did you stop trying to reach me? If you had continued, I might have eventually answered you and I would have known all this three days ago..."

Adrien dips his head down. "It's because..." his tone is very sad, and he has difficulty getting the rest of his words out. It looks like Marinette is here to make up, but what if she simply wants to understand what happened with him and Kagami before breaking up with him for Luca? He isn't out of the woods yet, and that fear makes his words come out rather slowly. "It's because...I saw you on Chattybox. A post from Luca. Two measly hours after seeing me with Kagami, you're with HIM, with a very happy smile on your face, his arm around your neck and his head just above your shoulder. If you were upset by what you saw, WHY did you go straight to Luca, and then get all cozy with him and seem so happy about it? On top of seeing him in _your bedroom, _when I mistakenly believed only *I* was allowed in there, as well as YOU doing the same thing *I* did at the skating rink-skating hand-in-hand with Luca, and completely IGNORING me, even though I was right there and tried to get your attention. Altogether, it adds up to something less than pleasant. I've been thinking this whole time that YOU were trying to find a way to break up with ME for another person!"

Marinette covers her mouth with a whispered "Oh my God," her eyes wide. "Adrien, I am so sorry. I just went to Luca's after I saw Kagami kiss you for some cheering up, I was in so much pain. He cheered me up very temporarily; I was MISERABLE again the second I left! I never meant for you to think I was WITH him, I swear! And I only skated with him that one day to sort-of get even with you for doing it with Kagami. He was in my room the day of the dinner party because he called and said he was down, and he has always been there for me to cheer ME up, so I thought I should return the favor. That's all. I know I shouldn't have let him into my room; I am very sorry for that too. But he's a good friend to me, nothing more, I swear! All this time I've been thinking that *I* was losing YOU. No other guy could EVER take your place, Adrien, I swear it on my life! Please believe me!"

Now it's Adrien's turn to study Marinette's eyes. He finds them genuinely loving, and just as fearful as his own had been. She's telling the truth. Desperate relief washes over him, and he drops to his knees, as his legs had been shaky throughout the entire conversation.

Marinette follows suit, equally shaky, and wraps her arms around Adrien, the tops of their downturned heads touching. "Adrien, I love you so much. Please forgive me. I've been such a selfish idiot. All this time, you were suffering, and all I could think about was my OWN pain. I'm so, so sorry."

"Marinette, please don't give it another thought. YOU were suffering all this time too, and I didn't know either. Let's just put this whole thing behind us and go back to the way things were. OK?"

They tilt their heads up at this, for four teary eyes to meet.

"Yes! Yes, of course. God, I love you Adrien. I can't tell you how much, there are no words strong enough to express it!"

"And I love you just as fiercely, Milady." With that, Adrien leans in for a kiss.

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Adrien and Marinette share a warm, loving kiss of reconciliation. But the two of them feel like they have been separated by GALAXIES for CENTURIES, and can't get close enough to each other to satisfy their SOULS. So the kiss quickly turns more passionate than ever before. But, as he had always done in the past with Marinette, Adrien takes a small step back from Marinette's body (though he's "walking" on his knees at this point) when his own begins to react to her and their heat-rush kiss. But Marinette isn't in the mood for that now. She breaks the kiss to address the last issue on the table.

"Adrien," she begins softly, looking into Adrien's worried eyes, "Why do you always do that? Every time we kiss for more than a few seconds, you back away from me. We've been dating forever, and it's beginning to feel like rejection. Like you don't find me attractive."

Adrien's eyes bug with surprise. "Really? Oh, no, that's not even REMOTELY true! I'm sorry, Marinette, that was never my intention. I just wanted to treat you with respect, and keep you feeling comfortable with me. I didn't want you to think I'm some typical pervert only interested in one thing, ya know? That's all, I swear!"

"Well, I don't think that about you. And please, don't hold back anymore. I love ALL of you! And my BODY has feelings for you too, Adrien! There is nothing to shelter me from. If I become uncomfortable, I will let you know. Otherwise, just be yourself, ok?"

Adrien smiles, stroking Marinette's hair lovingly. "I love you so much," he whispers to her face. Then he kisses her again, this time even more passionately than the previous one. He takes her advice, and does not back away. In fact, he begins to explore beyond old, needless boundaries.

Adrien runs his tongue along Marinette's bottom lip, and she sucks in a breath of excited surprise. Adrien takes the opening given, and pushes in to taste Marinette for the first time. It's equal parts spice and sugar; sweet but arousing. Marinette's usual butterflies when kissing Adrien turns into a furious belly full of bees, and Adrien's normal body flush morphs into surging electricity.

Marinette moans into the sweet-hot kiss, running her fingers through Adrien's hair and tugging at it, stroking his back with her other hand. Adrien groans his approval, and lays Marinette back on the floor they are kneeling on, allowing his body to cover hers. This time, he isn't holding back. He wants to be as close to Marinette as possible, and he knows now that she feels the same way. He is a star falling into the gravity of a black hole, and he is certain that Marinette echoes this sentiment.

Marinette moans at the contact of Adrien's desire with her body. It excites her more than she expects. She wraps her legs around Adrien in response, urging him on. She always knew this day would come, and though they had never even "played around" before, she feels completely ready for it after dating for such a long time and always having had to hold back before, save for her dreams. She is sure that Adrien is equally ready for this next step in their relationship.

Adrien keeps his full weight from smashing Marinette with his right forearm on the floor and runs his free hand over Marinette's bare arm-they are both in their pajamas at this hour-and into her hair. He gently removes the rubber bands holding her ponytails in place, allowing her hair to flow freely around her head and face.

However, Adrien knows the floor is a little uncomfortable for both of them, so he sits up, bringing Marinette up with him with an arm behind her back. Wordlessly, they stand up and walk hand-in-hand to the young man's king-size bed. They sit facing each other, and Adrien resumes passionately kissing Marinette, one hand rubbing her arm and the other her back and hair. Marinette slips her fingers through Adrien's hair with one hand whilst sliding the other over his cloth-covered chest and mostly-bare arms-pleased that his Cat Noir physique wasn't all in the magic costume.

Then Adrien moves one arm from Marinette's, and places its hand on her stomach, over her top. He slides it up slowly, building anticipation in both of them, increasing the speed of two heartbeats. He encompasses one breast, squeezing gently. Marinette breaks the kiss to gasp, whispering Adrien's name into his ear. This excites him even more than the feel of the soft, womanly orb in his hand. He groans in pleasure.

Marinette then takes a little inititative herself, sliding a hand beneath the hem of Adrien's pajama top. She is awed by the feel of him. And her touch is quite stirring to Adrien. He moans as he retakes her mouth.

After a few minutes of this, Adrien breaks the kiss to move his lips to Marinette's neck, letting go of her breast to stroke her arm as he kisses down her throat. A shiver runs down the girl's back at the feel of his soft, warm lips upon her delicate skin. He kisses down to the neckline of her pajama top, and simultaneously slides a stealthy hand beneath the garment. He moans when he reaches his target, happy his woman didn't sleep in a bra, massaging her breast and running his thumb over her engorged nipple. Marinette tilts her head back with a moan of her own, sliding her hand out of his pj top for a moment, overwhelmed with sensation.

Then Adrien looks into Marinette's eyes, letting go of her body to grab the bottom hem of her top with both hands, asking her permission-without a word-to remove it. Marinette couldn't speak now if her life depended on it, but she gives him the slightest nod.

Adrien slides the pj top slowly up from the back, memorizing the feel of Marinette's musculature as he goes. Marinette lifts her arms up for him, and the top is removed. Adrien takes in the sight with reverence. Marinette thinks absentmindedly that she would have expected herself to be embarrassed by something like this, but instead she feels rather proud. She is presenting the man she loves with the most precious gift she has to offer; there is simply no room for shame.

Adrien gently encircles Marinette's perky breasts in his hands, closing his eyes to marvel in full at the feel of them. Marinette shivers, but not from cold. Then Adrien releases one breast-to surround it with his mouth. Marinette sucks in a sharp breath at the electric contact, feeling the pleasure all throughout her body and causing her center to twitch.

But after a few minutes, Marinette's hands get hungry. She gently pushes Adrien off her, only to start unbuttoning his pajama top. His cheeks are flushed, but he is not abashed. His breath rate is fast, and getting faster as the buttoms come undone. Within moments, the material is off, and Marinette is exploring his upper body with eyes and hands freely, front and back. Adrien closes his eyes, reveling in the feel of her touch.

But as enjoyable as this is for Adrien, soon his lips long for love again. He gently lays Marinette down on the bed, his body atop hers, their legs now on the bed, Marinette's slippers kicked off into the floor. He props himself up with one arm to keep from crushing her, and she wraps herself around him. The feel of her unclothed breasts against his bare chest sends a thrill throughout his body, causing a twinge in his stiffness. Marinette flushes at the contact, and pulls his head to hers to resume kissing, even more passionately than before.

As their tongues twirl together, Marinette glides her hands across Adrien's back and arms while his free hand strokes her hair lovingly. He begins to instinctively thrust his trunk into Marinette's lower body, making her squirm.

Adrien then slides a finger between their bodies to glide it back and forth over her skin just below the hem of her pj pants, intensifying the sexual tension between them. Seeing no signs of objection to this, Adrien begins to wiggle the britches off her. Marientte rises up to get the bottoms off of HER bottom, and Adrien takes a moment there. Still kissing, the pajama bottoms are quickly shed into the floor.

A moment later, much to Adrien's surprise, Marinette then takes hold of HIS pajama bottoms by the hem on his back side and begins to lower them off over his behind, lingering there for a minute. Soon, his pj's join hers in the floor. All that lies between them now are a pair of white silk boxers and pink lace panties.

Both being painfully aware of this, Adrien begins to thrust with renewed fervor into Marinette's barely-covered center, both of them reeling from the strong sensations arising from the contact through so little fabric. Marinette breaks their liplock to pant, and Adrien growls.

The couple's eyes meet again, and they both see the depths of their love for each other shining there, paired with a great deal of desire. Adrien doesn't have to ask. He _knows _Marinette wants this as much as he does.

Assured by this, Adrien once again glides a finger across Marinette's skin, just below the waistband of her panties. She sucks in a sharp breath of anticipation, encouraging the young man to proceed further. Thus, he slips the finger all the way under the hem and sweeps between her wet folds. Marinette cries out, rocked with sensation-nearly causing the gun to go off, the feel of her-and her reaction to his touch-are so exciting to him.

Marinette's head lolls back, her eyes closed, her back arching. Riveting though it is, Adrien's eyes are eager too. So he tugs the panties down, with no hesitation on Marinette's part; she rises up again to help him get them off. He resumes his attentions there, watching with great interest as well.

But Marinette wants to see and touch, too. Nervously, but excitedly, she she slips HER hand between their bodies the moment Adrien's non-support hand moves away from her midpoint, and places it over the oblong hardness at his midsection. A thrill zips through her at the feel of his want for her through his silky shorts, and Adrien nearly loses control at the contact. He sucks in a whoosh of air, closing his eyes. They fly open, however, when Marinette suddenly tugs the boxers down to take hold of his private protuberance in the flesh. She begins to stroke him, making his eyes roll back with an unintelligible cry, as the boxers simultaneously get kicked the rest of the way off into the heap of cloth on the floor.

Adrien soon halts this action with a hand over hers, not ready for things to end here. He moves her hand to his back, positions himself with his hand, and looks into her eyes. Marinette sees the question in them, and answers in the affirmative with a small smile and gentle nod. But something rational intrudes into the other-worldly experience.

"Marinette," he whispers, "I um...I don't...I don't have a condom."

"That's ok," she replies in a tone matching his, "I took myself to the clinic the day after you asked me out. I'm on the pill. We're covered."

Adrien smiles. "You've been planning this since then?"

"I knew this day would come. Frankly, I think it's overdue. Let's not wait any longer."

With that, Adrien gives her a loving smile before diving in.

Marinette arches up with a cry at the momentary pain, and Adrien stills there, not wanting to hurt her. His eyes reflect his worry.

"I'm ok," she utters quietly, "Don't stop." She gives him a small, reassuring smile, stroking his cheek lovingly with her hand.

Adrien doesn't have to be told twice. He begins to rock in and out of her, thrilling them both to their bones, enveloping them both in the strongest sensation of love and sharing their hearts with one another than either has ever known. Marinette rubs her hands across Adrien's back as she begins to chant his name. Adrien strokes her hair with his free hand, responding to her cries with his own name-chanting. His movement inside her is slow and steady, filling their hearts almost to the limits of their capacity to feel with love. Tears begin to form in two sets of eyes. Adrien begins to rock faster, then, taking them both even higher. Marinette can feel a ping inside her with each thrust, and it's building up to something big. Adrien rocks even faster, tears beginning to fall onto Marinette's already tear-streaked face, both of them continuing to call out one another's names. Finally, Marinette arches her back with a long moan as she reaches her climax, tightening and loosening around Adrien in succession, making him come to his own crescendo. He kisses Marinette gently.

"I love you so very much, Marinette," he says sincerely.

"I love you too, Adrien," she replies just as earnestly. "More than I can say."

They hold onto one another for a long time like this, enjoying being joined together. Finally, their *souls* feel satisfied. Finally, they were able to get *close* enough. Finally, they feel *whole.*

Unfortunately, they both realize that they cannot be found together in the morning-but they want to _sleep _together. Thus, Adrien simply sets an alarm to go off before dawn, so that they can share at least part of the night in one another's arms. It's a wonderful few hours; neither had ever slept so peacefully. Then, when the alarm goes off, they decide to shower together before Marinette sneaks back into her own bedroom-and they make love again there. Their relationship has reached a new level. No outside force-or outside people-can ever threaten their bond again. All traces of doubt in their love for each other has been erased.

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The next afternoon, Adrien presents Marinette with a small black velvet box. Her eyes widen in surprise. She opens the box to reveal a silver ring with two gemstone hearts on it.

"It's a promise ring, Marinette," says Adrien to a teary-eyed and speechless (though her mouth is wide open) Marinette. "One day you'll get another ring, a gold one with a diamond. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

That does it. Marinette throws her arms around Adrien, crying and babbling thank you's and I love you's into his shoulder. She couldn't be happier if world peace were declared!

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**EPILOGUE**

Four years later:

Two handsome Agreste men in suits stand with two beautiful women in white dresses. The preacher speaks his last words for the two couples: "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husbands and wives. Gentlemen, you may kiss your brides!"

Adrien kisses Marinette as Gabriel kisses Natalie, making two new marriages official. The two new brides hug one another, both thrilled to finally be Agrestes. They throw their bouquets into the air, to be caught by Alya Cesaire and Penny Rolling. Both are thrilled, and both have someone in mind when they make the catch. The reception is joyous and memorable, and everyone leaves the church even happier than when they came in. Especially all four of the newlyweds.

The End


End file.
